


After the Battle

by cmccrzy



Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Dealing with injuries, Demon Mashou, Doom, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Seiji's Babysitting Adventures, Shu's cooking show, Touma angst, Touma's headcanon session, armor theories, camaradarie, modern tech, team-ups are awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-09
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2017-12-28 22:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 113,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/997787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmccrzy/pseuds/cmccrzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the fight with Arago, the guys must deal with the newly discovered white armor. How will it change their lives, especially when the demons start to take an interest in it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The graphic violence thing is only for like one chapter, so don't worry. I guess it depends on your definition of graphic. It's not this chapter. (Sorry?)
> 
> This fic attempts to use the Japanese names, not the English dub names, so here's a guide for confusion.
> 
> Kento = Shu  
> Cye = Shin  
> Sage = Seiji  
> Rowen = Touma  
> White Blaze = Byakuen  
> Anubis = Shutendoji (Shiten for short)  
> Talpa = Arago  
> Demon Soldiers = Youja  
> Inferno armor = Shiroi Kikotei  
> The Ancient = Kaos  
> The Ancient's staff = shakujo

There is a madness between dreaming and waking when you know what you are seeing is a dream, and you want yourself to wake up, but you cannot do so. It's like someone is holding your eyelids shut, and much as you try to fight it, you are trapped beneath that heavy darkness. Trapped in the nightmare. It pulls you down like a rip tide, and every breath, every attempt to open your eyes is only that: a moment between surges. Before the current drags you under once again…

And then that awful force lifted. Ryo snapped his eyes open and sunlight momentarily blinded him while he lay on his bed shaking, his fingers clutching at the bedsheet covering his body. It took some time for him to fully register the pain in his fingers. He winced as he tried to open his hands.

He stared at the ceiling, afraid to close his eyes again. But exhaustion led him to shut his eyes again, if only briefly. He wanted to drown out the nightmare, the fear, the memories…

When he reopened his eyes he simply lay in the bed, still breathing hard. He was eventually able to sit up, and the blanket fell off his chest to pool over his lap and legs. For a time, he could only stare at the blue cloth covering his feet and feel the sweat dripping down his brow and the beating of his heart; like it was trying to escape from his chest.

_Where am I?_

Nothing he saw in the room was familiar. It definitely wasn't his apartment in the city. He saw a pleasant bedroom with blue-painted walls, a small wooden dresser on the wall on his left, beyond which stood a shut wooden door. There were windows on either side of the bed letting in sunlight. Opposite the closed door was a glass door showing a view of the outside and the rungs on a balcony of some sort.

Feeling a breeze on his skin, he looked down and saw that he wasn't wearing his armor anymore, even though he did not remember taking it off. He wore no shirt and had on a set of nightpants.

Byakuen growled, put his large furred head over the edge of the bed, and bumped his human's hand. Ryo smiled and pet him, ruffling the white fur.

He turned to his left to see his armor crystal, glittering with red and orange light in the sunlight atop a nightstand. As he stared at it, he tried to recall what had happened - if he remembered coming here, lying down, perhaps taking a nap…

It was all tired fragments. Just… just the battle and… and they had won, hadn't they? He remembered… Remembered nearly failing, remembered falling… falling and seeing his friends there. His friends _with_ him. Returning to the safehouse, half-aware. Then going to sleep. How long had he been asleep? He couldn't recall waking up before now…

He pushed the bedsheet off and turned to the left side of the bed so he could put his feet on the ground. As he tried to stand, he stumbled and grabbed for the wall clumsily. Byakuen was already up and _there_ to support him, as always. Ryo smiled down at the tiger and reasoned that he must have been sleeping for some time, to be so weak and unsteady.

A zinging in his head made him put his left hand to his forehead. Headache from sleeping too long? Rising too fast? Was he still injured? _How_ was he injured? He couldn't recall.

He heard voices coming from beyond the glass door and looked up. He let go of Byakuen and stretched a little, trying to regain proper use of his legs. With time and some help from a strong tiger, he managed it. Then he walked to the glass door, opened it, and stepped outside onto a large balcony.

More sunlight and a gentle breeze found him out there, brushing his face, hair, and chest. He shut his eyes, bathing in the warmth and the feel of the wind on his skin. It was an anchor from the nightmare, keeping him safely in the waking world. When he reopened his eyes, he looked out over a large green field, surrounding by forest. There was a lake a far ways off, glittering blue.

He crossed his arms on the rail and rested there as he looked out, a light smile on his face as he drank in the beauty.

"Hey Shin, here!"

The familiar voices of his friends called his attention back down to the grass. Shin and Shu were doing some sort of acrobatic exercise together, as Ryo watched Shin run and leap forward to land with his hand on Shu's raised one, so that Shu held Shin up in a one-armed handstand in the air. They stood that way for several moments, both sweating, with only slight trembling, and then Shin pressed down and leapt off while Shu pushed him up and off, and Shin landed on his feet a short ways away.

"Nice job, guys," Touma said, watching from a chair in the grass nearby. He had a laptop on his lap, but was grinning at the other two.

Ryo looked around and spotted Seiji sitting, cross-legged, in the grass a short ways away. His eyes were shut and he appeared to be meditating. But as Ryo caught sight of the blonde, the latter opened his eyes and looked straight up at him. Seiji smiled. "Hey Ryo! You're awake!"

That caught the attention of the other three, so they all looked up at him. Ryo felt oddly embarrassed. He put up a hand to wave, not knowing what else to do.

"Good to see you awake, Ryo!" Shu called up.

As he looked out at them, seeing them all out of armor, in jeans and t-shirts, relaxing in the sun, he could almost forget-

_I see you there, Ryo. Kekeke… you cannot run forever!_

He felt his throat constrict and found it hard to breathe. A look of fear came over his face as he turned and ran back inside the room, away from them all. Away from seeing them call out to him, shouting for him to come help them. Away from Arago's demonic face, leering hungrily at him.

He didn't make it to the bed and simply fell to the ground, curled up in a ball. He pressed his hands to his eyes, trying to drown out the images, the words…

_Help us, Ryo! He's killing us! He'll destroy everything! Help us, Ryo! Help us!_

_Come out, come out, wherever you are, my dear little senshi. I will find you eventually._

_Ryo!_

* * *

When he opened his eyes again he was lying back on the bed and the room was dark. He sat up and turned to look out the window. It was nighttime and he could see the moon resting over the trees.

He was shaking again, and the feel of sweaty sheets met his fingers. His body was slick with it and his hair clung to his face.

All he wanted to do was curl up under the sheets for the rest of his life. Curl up where no one could hurt him, like how he thought when he was little. Just stay there and away from all the terrible things in the world…

He felt the tug of the armor, even as it rested on the nightstand. Felt the heat of it, reaching for the cold, fearful center of his being, trying to warm. He reached out and grasped the glowing red sphere in his hand, putting it over his heart. He shut his eyes, letting the warmth seep through his body, pushing back the nightmare for a moment. Thoughts of sunlight and sunny beaches and campfires filled his mind. He felt the warm air in the room and Byakuen's body heat emanating from the floor. As he stretched out his senses, he felt the body heat of four others in the building. Downstairs, it felt like. His friends. In his mind, their fiery forms were wreathed in the colors of their armor: dark blue, green, orange, and light blue.

He clutched at the crystal as the trembling returned. He couldn't face them. He just couldn't. He'd failed to help them. He'd given up. He didn't understand what happened, where that strange white armor came from, or the power that came with it. He could barely remember what happened – the armor had used him, though it should have worked the other way around. But wasn't that all that had happened recently? A strange armor with a mind of its own, taking him over to wreak some sort of havoc? They knew that the armors had originally been a part of Arago's armor. Beyond that – a part of his actual _body_. Then Kaos had broken the armor and forged them into nine smaller armors. Since then they had done… what? Wreak havoc, fight battles... Although Kaos had taken the vast capability to wage war away from Arago, he had truly just miniaturized it, allowing the armors to spread out and cause chaos on their own, in more places than Arago had ever tried at once.

He felt that call to chaos every time he donned the armor. The call to blaze, to burn, to destroy everything in his path… He had felt it in the volcano when Shutendoji had come to kill him. All he wanted was to attack his enemy and destroy him utterly.

That call terrified him. That desire to destroy. It was not a part of who he was. He didn't want to destroy. He hadn't wanted to hold this much responsibility in his hands – the fate of the _world_ , who _does_ that? And despite the call of that power, Arago had terrified him. The entire demon realm had terrified Ryo. Arago's army was a never-ending tide of monsters that he could send after the senshi, and Arago himself was a giant _demon_ they were somehow expected to kill? And then the demon lord had absorbed all of Ryo's friends and become even more terrifying, until all that was left was Ryo, who had apparently been expected to face him alone. What other choice did he have, than to sacrifice himself? There was nowhere to run, and he was injured.

_Is this all I'm left with, then? Lying in bed, afraid to leave my room – or whoever's room this is – caught between nightmares and the fear of facing people I called friends? People I let down._

_What did I do, back there, when it all went to hell? What did I do? That power… It-it felt so much_ stronger _than the Rekka armor. It was brighter and hotter than any flame I've ever used before. And it hurt, it… it hurt…_

Finally cutting through the nightmares was the sheer weariness in his bones. No doubt he _had_ been sleeping for some time, and that probably aided his less-than-healthy state. But he felt like someone had been using his body as a punching bag for at least a week. It didn't feel as bad as it had after the battle, when he had to truly fight to keep his eyes open and his body moving so that he wasn't being _entirely_ carried along by friends who were at least nearly as exhausted as he was after they all died-and-didn't-die and _how_ was he supposed to understand anything that was going on in his life anymore when he was having thoughts like _that_?

The wooden door creaked open and a light flicked on. Ryo turned to see Touma walking in with a smile and a tray. "Hey Ryo. Just wanted to bring you something to eat, if you can. You've been asleep for a long time and you need to start getting your strength back."

Ryo sat fully up and took the tray from Touma, looking over a plate of food and a glass of water.

"We tried to check your temperature while you were out, until the thermometer burned Shu's hand. But then we kind of figured that, what with the fire element of your armor and all, it was kind of a no-win scenario. It's like trying to check Shin's temperature. He moves between freezing and lukewarm. I'm nearly as bad," he flexed his fingers, staring down at them incredulously, "I get pretty darn cold, too. I guess it's supposed to be like high up in the sky, or even space." He shook his head in disbelief. "Nice to know we won't be able to tell whether we're all sick by the normal means, anyway."

"How long was I asleep?" Ryo asked, not knowing how else to respond to Touma's words and the very odd thought that no one could take his temperature because it was far over the average human's.

Touma smiled nervously, "Oh, heh, it's uh… been about two weeks now."

Ryo simply stared at him.

"But to be honest, all of us were _really_ tired. Shu stayed in bed for six days. We thought you were both going to sleep forever until he finally got up. Seiji recovered fastest after two days and checked up around town to see how things were. I got up the next day and went out to get some groceries and stuff – we were starving – and then Shin woke up two days later. We've been stretching and exercising, it's true, but there's also been a lot of sleeping and just relaxing. We all feel like we've been running marathons. That final battle was just… intense."

Ryo looked back down at the tray.

"So you should eat. And then, if you want to go back to sleep, we'd understand. It's just we kind of… I mean, we were getting really worried. That white armor that showed up was just… it was unbelievable. But we don't really know what it did to you. We thought it might have _killed_ you or just left some really terrible permanent damage. The only thing we could judge by was the fact that your skin was still warm. Shin said we should take you into a hospital… but Seiji and I think that's a bad idea. If there are any lingering demons, we don't want them heading for us at a hospital. And then, well... We don't really know how the armors are changing us – judging by the whole temperature thing, and any number of other things – and who knows how a hospital would see that? Or what they would do to try and counteract it? We didn't want to kill you trying to put you back together!"

 _The white armor._ It all came back to that. That… that power, whatever it was. The fire in his hands, that he unleashed with his attack. The power… the sheer _power_ … Power to obliterate Arago forever. Power to destroy Arago's armies, the entire demon realm, if Ryo so chose. Power just waiting to be directed. Hungering… hungering…

He heard the crash and Byakuen's growl as he knocked the tray off of his lap and onto the floor to put his hands to his head, afraid of the memory, trembling once more. He ignored Touma's cry of alarm. Everything faded.

And that was the problem. Beneath the pain and the nightmares of that strange realm, he remembered. It wasn't truly fear of it all that he had felt.

It was exultation. He _wanted_ to fight. He _wanted_ to destroy it all. Even as he stood alone before Arago, a small part of his mind hadn't been afraid. Had wanted to run out and throw all of his power at the demon. To laugh in the creature's face in one final blaze of glory.

And when the white armor had taken him… it had felt so _good_. That sense that he was so powerful. Unstoppable, even. Arago had been nothing – blown aside like a leaf in a tornado. Ryo had felt that raw energy in his hands, and if he hadn't been moving in the steps of his attack, he knew he would have thrown his head back and laughed at the sheer rush of feeling of it.

 _I destroyed a demon lord, the strongest demon lord… The one who killed Kaos, who commanded the Demon Mashou… I destroyed him in a single blast of power. And it felt… it felt_ good _to be that powerful. It felt amazing…_

And then complete exhaustion had descended on him. Like gravity was trying triply hard to press him into the ground. The power was gone, and he was just a human again. Just a weak _human_.

But he could still feel it. Trickling in from the armor crystal, and trickling in from Touma, standing nearby. Touma's spirit, which Ryo could feel so strongly. His spirit-no, the Tenku armor. Ryo turned to look at his friend, and the image of the blue armor briefly superimposed itself over the blue-haired boy's body. It called to Ryo too - to the crystal that had fallen into his lap. To his soul. The fire lurking in the crystal depths, in his chest, in his head, waiting to summon the armor, to pick up his swords. Waiting to blaze forth-

"Stop!" He screamed, "Just shut up! I don't want that! I don't want it!" He didn't want to destroy things. That's all the armor would do. It would destroy! Like he had destroyed that camp of poachers. Burned them all away to nothing, so that there weren't even any bones to bury, and the traces of their campsite were gone entirely…

He didn't take pleasure in killing or destroying things. He certainly didn't seek it out! That just wasn't who he was. That wasn't who he had been trained and taught to be. That wasn't who he _wanted_ to be. He felt tears course down his cheeks and wished he could just make the voice in his mind screaming to call the armor and just slash and _burn_ to stop, to quiet. He wouldn't don the armor. Never again, if this is what it wanted. If it was _twisting_ him into something else to suit its own purposes. People's lives had been at stake before, but maybe now, now that Arago was gone, they could get over it. Put the armors away and forget it all happened…

Or maybe someone else could step forward and take his place. He hadn't wanted this. Or if he had…

 _Burn, blaze,_ live!

…He didn't want it anymore. Maybe he was a coward and a weakling for that, but he didn't care. He wouldn't become a monster for this. Whatever it was.

"-o! Ryo! Buddy, you there?"

He opened his eyes to look into bright blue eyes on a concerned face.

"Damn, Ryo, what happened? What's wrong? It looked like you were in pain!"

"Uh…"

"So he's finally out of it?" Shu asked from nearby. Ryo turned his head and spotted the heavyset, dark blue-haired youth standing nearby with his arms crossed. "Jeez, you had us worried. Scared the living daylights out of Shin!"

"Oh, like you weren't startled!"

"Of course I wasn't!"

Shin snorted. He was standing on the opposite wall from Ryo's bed, his hands in his pockets. "You jump at shadows and want to ignore the fact that you were ready to put on your armor and run around trying to kill anything that moved when you heard that scream, just like the rest of us!"

Seiji appeared at Ryo's elbow and handed down a glass of water to him, saying nothing as Ryo took it and murmured his thanks, gulping it down before he knocked _that_ one over too. Only after he set the glass on the nightstand did Seiji ask, quietly, "So what happened there, Ryo? Are you still hurting?"

"I…" He looked away. Seiji had this ability to just stare straight through you, as if he could see everything about you. While that was great for tracking or sensing enemies, it was… embarrassing to look at him just now. Seiji would see what was there. What evil was there in his spirit. Because that's what the voice was. What the desire to burn was… or it had to be. A hungry evil waiting to devour everything, just like Arago…

"You know," Seiji said, intruding on Ryo's thoughts, "We're all still getting over everything that happened in that battle. Fighting all the demons, the Demon Mashou. Being… _devoured_ by Arago. And then that… that strange white armor. And then Arago was gone! And we're all still alive to see the city back to normal, and life seems to be returning to normal, too. It's a lot to take in." He grinned, "Now the hard part is figuring out what it all means. Which, I can promise you, has been a lot harder than an endless target practice session!"

He was trying to cheer Ryo up. And it worked, partially. He felt the others agree with Seiji. They were _all_ still reeling from the battle. It might not be for the same reasons, but they all felt it. He looked around at them and he could feel their tension. He had screamed, and they were all startled by it. In their shoes, he'd be really worried too, and on top of everything else…

Ryo realized that the nightmare was fading. The hunger was fading. Although he could still feel his friends' auras strongly, especially now that they were standing nearby, it was no longer with a desire to devour. It was a comforting warmth akin to how he first felt with his armor crystal. A bond. Whatever bound them together was protecting him. Keeping the nightmares at bay.

At least temporarily. He could feel the murky thoughts there, waiting at the back of his mind. But with his friends around him, he could push them back, at least briefly. Try and get things out and understand, while he wasn't a monster.

"So you don't have anything on what it was?" He asked. They'd had two weeks, after all. Well, Seiji had almost that. The others had close.

"A little," Touma replied. "I was actually looking over some stuff I found today, including a reference to a 'Shiroi Kikotei'. A great white armor with immense power called forth by great warriors in ages past. It was said to protect people from demons. Some of the symbols I've found on the scrolls people have downloaded match those found on our armors, and the pictures drawn are sort of similar to what I can remember it looking like. It matches up to some references that sound a lot like Kaos. Beyond that, though… what capabilities it had, how it was created, where it came from… there's nothing concrete, yet."

"We kind of thought," Shin ventured, "That _you_ might be able to tell us something about that, Ryo. You wore it, after all."

"More like the thing wore _me_ ," Ryo replied, dryly. Seiji's gaze narrowed at that. "I just… I can remember talking to Kaos in… inside Arago. And then feeling you all there, and then… and then there was this burst of white light and fire everywhere. And I didn't even know what I was doing when I attacked Arago. It was like my body was moving on its own. And it…" His hand, resting on his knee, tightened its hold on the blanket, "It was… It was _agonizing_. It was like drowning in the volcano again, except this time it hurt. Like looking into the sun and not being able to look away, or jumping onto a stove or-or I don't know…" He let go of the blanket and looked at his palm. "But it also felt incredible. Like I knew that I had this endless amount of power, just waiting to be used. Like when I use my normal armor, and it…" He couldn't describe to others in words the way it felt to burn, to _blaze_. It was something felt with the mind and the heart, something experienced, not explained. "I felt like I could do anything. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. And I don't know where the armor came from, or what it was."

The others had listened intently, and they were silent for a time after he finished, to go through all of what he'd said.

"I have to wonder," Touma said. "We were all knocked out, and I thought that was just from, well, _everything_ , and maybe it was. Dying, not dying, whatever happened to us. We used a lot of energy during that battle, and all the battles before. Our bodies needed a break. But none of us really outdid each other, from what I can recall. I have to wonder… maybe, Ryo, you were especially tired because you actually _wore_ the armor. And if that's true, I wonder if the rest of us were drained because we shared our power to _create_ it."

"Hold on a minute," Shu said, "You think _we_ created that?"

"I remember sharing my power with you guys," Seiji replied. "I remember _that_ , from what little I remember of that battle. The energy drain we experienced during and after it was over… it had to come from somewhere. If we had to power something with the magnitude that Ryo is describing… it's possible, I think. It's just possible."

"We shared power to create something…" Shin said, "It's such a strange thing. I never thought we could do that."

"Well, we didn't know the armors were connected like that before," Seiji commented. "They were originally part of Arago, and they even reconnected when we… When he swallowed us. We might not have been able to figure it out on our own, but at least _then_ we managed it."

"It was Kaos," Ryo said, "He came and guided us somehow. I saw him inside Arago."

"He's still saving us," Shu shook his head. "And we never get to thank him for it."

"I wonder if that's really it for him," Touma said, "There's that business with the bridge, and Arago. For a dead guy, he sure gets around."

"Which brings us back to the question of what happened when Arago erm, devoured us," Seiji said. "Did we die? Did we just go to sleep? Did we, I don't know… cease to exist for a brief moment and then get reformed? Did we merge with the demon?"

"You can't be serious," Shin said, "Merge with that... that monster? I don't recall, I mean…" He blanched.

"There was a moment… that time, I…" Touma frowned. "I remember darkness and… and pain. And—" he shuddered.

"I guess I'd forgotten," Shu said, quietly. "It was awful, whatever it was."

"We all wanted to forget, I think," Seiji said. "I tried not to think about it at first. I thought it was only me. I felt alone in there, maybe I was going mad… Until the bond, and then the… the Shiroi Kikotei, if that's what it was, appeared."

"Wait," Touma said, "I have an idea. If he absorbed our armors to gain their characteristics back into his original armor… and that involved absorbing us along with them… And we have no explanation for the creation of the Shiroi Kikotei… I have to wonder… is the reverse possible as well?"

"What do you mean?" Seiji asked.

"Well, our armors formed Arago's armor, which was big and all and we all know how powerful it is. Or is supposed to be, anyway. But then we combined our powers and Ryo managed to escape and form the Shiroi Kikotei. Maybe we did the same thing Arago was trying to do in reverse…?"

"You mean stole some of his power back and used that to form the Kikotei?" Shin asked. "But that doesn't make sense. Why would using his own power against him destroy Arago? It shouldn't have hurt him. It would be like throwing a brick at a skyscraper."

"Well," Touma began, "Think about it for a bit. It seems like it was a group effort to a) combine all of our powers and b) push Ryo out there. We know for a fact that he didn't have Ryo's power at that point. Since our powers were all involved in making the Shiroi Kikotei, he didn't have our powers either. We were either in-between or… maybe just helping form mass, I don't know. Our powers weren't _there_ for him to draw on for self-defense. We can all sense where our armors are, what our powers are doing. We all knew. So Ryo had our five powers, plus whatever Kaos gave him, and maybe whatever we could get from Arago…"

"Versus Arago's leftover energy," Shu interrupted, "And don't forget the four Demon Mashou. I don't like five and a half versus four and a half odds. We didn't beat Arago by a single number. We owned him!"

"You're forgetting, though," Seiji commented, "He was still reforming himself. Putting his armor back together, building his power… That armor of his has been in pieces for a thousand years. He didn't just put it back together and run off and start conquering the world. He was struggling. And not just because he was trying to become 'one' or whatever, but because we were all fighting him. Or… at least Ryo was."

They all looked at their black-haired friend. Notably, he hadn't been partaking in the conversation. He was looking down at the armor crystal, which he was holding in his hand again. At their silence, he looked up at them, surprised to see them all staring at him. Then he looked back down. "Well… I don't really think, I mean… I ended up somewhere when he absorbed me, I know that much. It wasn't a great place… very dark and… a voice kept telling me to go to sleep. Kaos was the one who kept me awake and aware. It certainly wasn't any work on my part."

"I wonder…" Seiji murmured. "At any rate, with those odds: lacking in numbers, focus, and still reforming, with great weakness, and he had to contend with Shutendoji, who could _not_ have been happy to become absorbed, we could easily beat him."

"So the Shiroi Kikotei might not be as powerful as we think it is," Touma said. "If this is all true, then if Arago HAD been at full strength… we'd have been toast."

"If this is all true," Shin commented, "And he was at full power, we couldn't have formed the Shiroi Kikotei in the first place. We would have still been absorbed."

"I'm just wondering," Shu said, "Why did it pick Ryo, of all of us?"

Ryo clenched his hand around the crystal.

"No offense, Ryo, but we're equal in power level. Why pick you?"

"Why _not_ him?" Seiji replied. "For one thing, he was the last absorbed. Arago would have had a tenuous grip on him, in terms of connection with all our armors. He would have been the easiest to remove from Arago's web and stick outside once our powers combined. He was also the most awake of us, since he was absorbed last. I don't know about you all, but I was pretty darn sleepy when I was in there. Barely conscious of what was going on when I felt the bond start to kick in. It felt like... like being tied to a chair and being forced to watch some bad movie. I couldn't move and didn't even feel like I wanted to move, which was even weirder. If Ryo wasn't like that, he'd have had a better chance."

"Those are good points, Seiji," Touma replied. "You too, Shu. And I think it's worth checking into. If I can find more tales on this Shiroi Kikotei, because I promise you, I don't mean to stop looking, I might be able to find out more about the choosing process. Is it random? For instance, the next time we summon it, assuming we could and wanted to and needed to, could it go to any one of us? Or will it go back to Ryo, as the designated bearer for this armor bearer generation? Or is there something special about the Rekka Armor that makes the bearer of that armor the designated bearer? We do need to look up more on our armors, after all. Learning about their histories and any special capabilities would be valuable."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Shin stepped forward, waving his arms, "That's all well and good, but resummon the armor? Are you crazy? We did that the first time in the demon realm, when there was no one to take the backlash, and we all agree that it nearly killed the lot of us, and only Ryo was wearing the damn thing! Look what it did to him for that short amount of time! What if, the next time we try, we summon it here? Even ignoring the potential damage a weapon like that could have on anyone nearby or the environment around us, what if this time we kill Ryo, or all of us? Who needs Arago to start throwing down Youja when we can just go destroying the planet _and_ ourselves _for_ him?"

"I'm not saying we _should_ try for it," Touma replied. "I'm just saying that it's worth investigation. We need to figure out what we're meant to do with these armors. Arago-"

" _Was_ our enemy, and now he's gone," Shu finished. "Our job is done, as far as I'm concerned."

"I don't know about you," Seiji replied with lowered eyebrows and a sharp voice, "but I don't remember anyone telling me when I received my armor that my job was to defeat Arago. I was just told to bear it responsibly, and with honor, and to protect this world. Besides, we don't know if Arago is really gone, or if all his cronies are gone, too. We don't need the Shiroi Kikotei to keep doing what we were doing before."

"So who do you want us to go against next, Seiji?" Shu snorted, "I don't see any demon lords falling out of the sky. Should we go into the city and start arresting common criminals? Car thieves? Traffic violators? That's a great idea! I can just imagine stopping some thief running out of a convenience store in full samurai armor and giving the guy a heart attack. Does self-defense and the public good cover that?"

"I think we should see what the future brings, and not be so hasty and jump to conclusions," Seiji replied, quietly.

"We've waited two weeks. Heck, we've been fighting this thing for some time now! I think it's time we went back to our own lives!"

"Turning tail, Shu, now that the battle's over?"

Shu flushed and snarled, "What did you just say to me?"

"I'm saying that maybe Ryo was picked to wear the Shiroi Kikotei and finish the fight because he actually wanted to fight back," Seiji threw back, "Unlike _certain_ people I know."

"Why you—!"

"Guys, come on!"

"Really, you're gonna do this _now_?"

"Would you all please leave!" Ryo's voice broke over theirs, "I'm… I'm really tired still." They all stopped and looked down at him.

"Uh yeah, sure Ryo," Touma said, gesturing for the others to go. "Sorry. We'll finish this tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks."

They all murmured apologies to him as they stepped out, Shu still glaring and refusing to look at Seiji, who was last out, and who clicked the light off before he shut the door. Ryo sat in the dark, staring at the glowing red crystal.

_"Maybe Ryo was picked to wear the Shiroi Kikotei and finish the fight because he actually wanted to fight back!"_

_"Why did it pick Ryo?"_

_"Maybe we did the same thing Arago was trying to do in reverse…"_

_"You mean stole some of his power back and used that to form the Kikotei?"_

_I'm a monster._ That was the only answer. Out of all of them, he was the monster. That's why he was chosen. That was the only reason. _Arago could control his army using his demonic powers… maybe I could control the Kikotei because I… Because I had some of Arago stuck in my head, like when I was in that… that other place, where he was trying to smother me, along with the others. The armor is so strong, and it was a_ part _of him once. I just don't get it…_

He put his head in his hands. The transformation crystal fell back into his lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically everything that happened in season 1 happened, sans Nasuti and Jun, who will also not be appearing in this story.


	2. Sarenbo Arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic uses the Japanese names, not the English dub names, so here's a guide for new names used in this chapter.
> 
> Super Wave Smasher = Cho Ryu Ha (Shin’s attack)  
> Thunderbolt Cut = Rai Ko Zan (Seiji's attack)

A tall red gate to the demon realm materialized in the clouds above Tokyo. The doors slowly opened inward, and a tall armored figured stepped out, stopping just past the threshold. The doors shut sonorously behind him and vanished from sight.

Completely covered in armor from head to foot, the demon resembled a scuba diver with a squished white-metal mask covering his face. The rest of his armor was a mix of black and dark blue, and he carried a tall pikestaff in his right hand.

He looked down at his feet and waved his weapon to move aside the clouds blocking his view. A gap appeared and the demon looked down onto Tokyo. He could feel the movement of so many human souls as if they were right before his eyes. While a part of him salivated to be unleashed out in the human realm after so long, the wiser part of him reined in his desire and turned to the task at hand.

He probed around the city with his mind, stretching out his senses as far as he could. Arago said that he would able to sense the Yoroi Senshi by the demon lord's own aura, saturated in the armors they wore. With luck, they would still be together, and, like a beacon, be an easier target to spot.

He did not find them in the city and could not suppress a sigh of disappointment. If they were there, it would have been an excuse to go down, wreak some havoc and gather what souls he could find before returning to the demon realm with his prizes.

As he considered which direction to take first, he felt a slight pull and dove down after it to the edge of the city. It was not very strong, but he could sense two human souls _laced_ with Arago's power, retreating from the city in that direction.

Beneath his helmet, he smiled.

* * *

" _That_ was nice!" Shin sighed as he leaned back in his seat while Seiji drove them back to the house. "Even if it was short, and just a supply trip, it was nice to get out of the house for a bit!"

"You've spent more time talking about the house than you have enjoying the errand run," Seiji replied as he focused on the road ahead. "On the way up you kept commenting about how nice it was to get away, and in town you nearly shouted about it, and now _here_ —"

"Well I'm trying to get all my thoughts out while I can!" Shin interrupted. "Contrary to how _some_ people act, I don't keep everything in and sulk when I have the opportunity to vent. It's like being _drowned_ in that place. Touma's the only one with anything to do. Shu does nothing but exercise, watch the cooking channels, and glare at you if you try to interrupt him for anything but food, and Ryo, well… he's still recovering."

They were both silent as they contemplated _that_ touchy problem.

"Well," Seiji replied, "The problem now is that we have to get used to being around each other without a life or death scenario hanging over our heads. It's easy to band together under the heat of battle, especially when you've got nowhere else to run. Now we have to learn about each other in peacetime. We have to get used to who we are as _people_ , not soldiers."

"And with much more of this, we'll find out that we're even less like soldiers than we appear. We'll all start _leaving_."

Seiji smiled sadly, "Well maybe—" He slammed on the brakes, making Shin gasp as the seat belts squished tight against his body while the inertia of the car pushed them forward. They sped to a halt – mostly alone on the road, thankfully, although an annoyed driver swerved around them about thirty seconds later, opened a window, and shouted back insults as they went off into the distance. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air and Shin glanced in surprise over at his companion as Seiji quickly unlocked his seat belt, opened the door, and practically jumped out of the car. Shin mimicked the action and ran over to stand by him. "Seiji, what-?"

"I felt them. Youja. Someone is watching us."

"What?" Shin looked around, searching. After a moment, he cursed. _Looking with my physical eyes isn't always helpful_. So he shut his eyes and listened. It was harder to sense anything when he was out and away from water, and he definitely wasn't even close to being Seiji's equal – no one on the team was – but he could still at least somewhat sense demonic aura if he looked. For a moment there was nothing, and then he felt a slight presence, like murky lakewater, coming from the direction Seiji had been staring. Shin opened his eyes and frowned, "So we didn't get them all after all. Should we suit up?"

"Yeah. Whoever they are, they can't be up to any good. And if they're after us, we want to give them a decent fight, eh?" Seiji reached into his pocket and crushed his armor crystal in his hand, as Shin did the same. A brief flash of green and blue light covered the area, and then they were both in their sub-yoroi.

"Let's get away from the car," Seiji said. "We don't need to go blowing up our own car, or catching any other drivers on the road in a fight." He leapt up onto the cliff forming a wall for the road, with Shin close behind, both of them searching for their new enemy. Once they were at the top of the cliff, they moved further away from the road and then crouched down in a clump of bushes, waiting.

To Seiji, the demonic presence was like a crackling in his mind, marring the sky and energies of the earth in the air, and bumping painfully against his senses as he moved. Now the crackling grew, and he pressed his lips together as he tried to focus more on the energy. _Where is it coming from?_

* * *

Sarenbo looked around curiously. He was able to feel the presence of two armors before, but now he barely sensed one. Odd. He materialized fully for a better look around the area, inspecting the odd contraption they were near moments before. He saw no one there.

* * *

When Seiji spotted the demon, he grabbed Shin's shoulder and pointed. Shin looked in that direction and froze. Its aura saturated the air and it smelled heavily of dead fish. Even as Shin prepared for the fight, he felt a wave of disappointment fill his mind. _We were right… it's not over, yet_. He glanced at Seiji and realized that the other youth shared the sentiment, despite what he'd said the previous evening. Seiji's gaze hardened, though, and Shin felt his own resolve firm up as well.

_We don't have time to mourn for a brief vacation. Now is the time to fight!_

"Come out little senshi! Come out and face me!"

Shin and Seiji quietly summoned their armors. The air around them glowed briefly as the energy gathered around them, then formed into the Korin and Suiko armors. Shin signaled for Seiji to stay hidden, and the other senshi nodded in understanding and remained crouched as Shin crawled over the slope away from him. When he was a ways away, Shin stood up and called out, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Saranbo turned to look at the light blue senshi and raised his weapon in a sort of mock salute. "Ahh… so there you are. Where is your friend hiding?"

Shin kept his expression focused and annoyed. This enemy had either been spying on them or could sense them. He didn't look like the typical Youja and certainly wasn't any of the Demon Mashou, unless they'd had a drastic armor change. And bad as _they_ were, they never stank of dead fish.

Seiji frowned at the stranger. Now that he was nearby, Seiji could tell that this newcomer's aura was a far more oppressive darkness than the Youja and more on par with the Mashou. Even stronger, perhaps. It wasn't as bad as Arago, but Seiji would not underestimate him. The blonde senshi kept his hand on his sword hilt, ready to leap out and attack to help Shin at any moment.

"Who are you?" Shin repeated. "What do you want?"

The stranger chuckled, "Quite a bit of bluster, huh? I am Sarenbo, little senshi. And I want the white armor - the Shiroi Kikotei - that struck down Arago."

 _What is it with these people and armors?_ Seiji thought. _Nothing but power-hungry monsters. Don't they have anything better to do?_

"It's not here," Shin replied. "And I wouldn't give it to you even if it was."

Sarenbo studied him for a moment. "Do you honestly think me a fool? To accept the word of a mere human? You senshi have the armor, and I want it!" Sarenbo turned his head and looked around, "Or perhaps your friend has it."

Seiji leapt into the air seconds before the area where he'd been hiding was struck by a spout of boiling water. Shin threw a Cho Ryu Ha at Sarenbo while the demon's attention was elsewhere. The attack struck only air as Sarenbo dodged. Seiji unsheathed his sword and struck out at the demon. Sarenbo moved faster than Seiji and struck the senshi in the back with his spear.

Seiji cried out and fell to the ground. The blow had winded him.

Shin aimed and fired a torrent of freezing water at Sarenbo. Instead of dodging, the demon sent an attack back at Shin through the senshi's own water torrent. Shin cried out as he felt his hands and chest begin to burn. He leapt away, barely holding onto his yari.

Seiji got up and moved to attack again, but Sarenbo, ending his own attack, turned and threw a bolt of energy at him, catching him in the air. The electricity made Seiji cry out in pain.

Shin tried to stand, still recovering from Sarenbo's attack. Before he could even try to form another attack, Sarenbo threw the same energy-based attack at him, and Shin felt only pain.

Sarenbo felt the auras that were no longer mostly hidden from him shine once more in his mind. Neither was strong enough to be the white armor, even combined. "Hmph. Waste of my time." He vanished.

Without his presence, the attack collapsed and Seiji and Shin fell, free, to the ground. Their armors deactivated, and they simply lay for a bit, panting in pain.

Seiji finally got up and dragged himself to Shin, who was sweating profusely and had a flushed face. "Shin, are you okay? Can you move?"

Shin turned his head to look at Seiji blearily, then pushed himself up a little. "Yeah, but I feel like I was used as someone's punching bag."

"We need to regroup with the others so we can take this guy down if he comes back. He found us – he might have already found them."

"Or he could be watching us. He could have found us by dumb luck, and now he's just waiting for us to lead him to the others."

"Kuso."

"Yeah."

Seiji deactivated his sub-yoroi and pulled out his cellphone, dialing the house. While he waited for a pick-up, he said, quietly to Shin, who sat up next to him, "Don't mention… Black Hair, okay?"

Wondering if the attack had fried more than his energy stores, Shin asked, hesitantly, "What? Why would I? What's the significance of-?"

"He doesn't know which of us has the armor. If we don't tell him – it can stay that way."

"Oh, okay."

"Hello?" Shu's voice made Seiji smile. _They aren't being attacked at the house._ Yet _, at least. I hope demons can't track cellphone signals…_

"Shu, get Touma! We've been attacked by another demon and we need to form a plan of attack. He wants the Shiroi Kikotei."

"What? But-!"

"Shu, we might not have a lot of time! We don't know where he went! He just beat us up and vanished!"

The line went silent for a moment, and then Seiji heard Shu running along the wooden floors in the house. "Touma! The guys got attacked!"

"What?"

"Here!" There was a lot of clattering as the phone changed hands, was dropped, picked up, and Touma stuck it on speaker, "Hello?"

"Touma! Can you go somewhere where it's just you and Shu?"

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Silence for a moment, and then there was the sound of more footsteps, the sound of an opening and then closing door, and then Touma said, "All right, what happened?"

"Shin and I were attacked by a demon named Sarenbo. He just showed up out of nowhere and took us out like we were nothing. He said he wanted the white armor. And you were right – he called it the Shiroi Kikotei."

"Good news and bad then. Sarenbo's not the name of any of the demons we know the names of," Touma said. "Could he be another of Arago's soldiers?"

"I don't know. He just attacked us and trapped us in this electric orb thing after he spoke about the armor. I think he knows that Shin and I don't have it, and now he's waiting to find you." Seiji looked around as he spoke, reaching out with his senses for a hint of Sarenbo. _Where is… there!_ "He's still here, waiting for us to lead him back to you."

"We'll come find you! We can take him out together!"

"You don't understand. He completely wiped the floor with us! He was faster than me and stronger than Shin." He lowered his voice. "If he takes you out and realizes that you don't have it…"

"…He'll go after Ryo."

"Yeah."

Touma was silent for a while, and then he said, "Then we'll just make sure we finish him off. The four of us should be strong enough to handle one enemy."

"I'm not so sure about that. We're all still recovering. We got past Arago out of sheer luck most of the time, and now we're fighting even worse enemies than the Mashou ever were. And we can't have all of us around because _someone_ is still out of commission."

"Well, what other choice do we have? Wait for him to kill you in order to drag us out? Wait for him to find us anyway? Even if we wanted to, we can't just hand him the Shiroi Kikotei. I still have no idea how we summoned it in the first place, and that's assuming it can be done outside of the special circumstances presented during our battle with Arago. And even if we knew how, we can't just give a demon a weapon of that magnitude! You saw what they did when Arago didn't even know we had something like that. If they had the Shiroi Kikotei, our world is _gone_."

"And then there's the fact that it would probably kill Ryo in the state he's in if he summoned it again," Shu said. "Or any of us if one of us got to wear it this time around, especially if it picks you or Shin, from the sound of things."

"I know …" Seiji looked at Shin, who returned his hard gaze. "All right. Meet us here. Just you, though. There's no need to wake up people who could really use a rest and don't need an excuse to get themselves killed. We can take care of this." He looked at Shin, "We have to."

"All right, where are you?"

* * *

" _Ryo, you have lessons to take care of today. Are you going to sleep through it all?"_

When he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of the now-very-familiar room, Ryo wondered why exactly his mother had appeared to him. It was an odd break from the storm of memories and emotions from the battle with Arago that had been plaguing him. Seeing that she wasn't there to greet him almost made things worse. He missed her.

He sat up and looked around in the afternoon light. Byakuen growled and Ryo reached out a hand to pet the tiger.

When his _stomach_ growled, Ryo laughed, before adding, "I guess I should go get some food." He got up and walked slowly to the door with Byakuen's help, the tiger acting as a mock crutch/banister for him to hold.

"Hello?" No one replied to his call, so he listened for a bit. He couldn't hear anyone moving around or talking. No sound of the television or things in a kitchen. He turned and walked down the stairs. He wasn't familiar with the place, so he might as well start exploring, at least a little. After his search for the bathroom earlier, he knew that there wasn't much else to explore on the second floor, anyway, and the kitchen probably wasn't up there. Once downstairs he found a living room, dining room and kitchen, all empty. "Guys?" He called, moving to the front door and opening it to look out. He couldn't see anyone out there, either.

He shut his eyes and searched for them with his mind. He could feel Byakuen beside him, but he couldn't sense any of the others. "I guess they're all out…" He glanced at the landline but he had no idea what the others' cellphone numbers were. When Arago had first struck, technology had been disabled all over the city. The senshi had not exchanged numbers while fighting Arago, and if they had after they defeated Arago for good, Ryo had not been awake for it.

 _I really don't like this. I don't like being babysat, but I don't think it's really practical or normal to leave someone who's... sick on their own. Plus, where would they go? It's not like any of us are really fit to_ do _anything yet._

He shook his head and looked down at Byakuen, "It's doesn't really matter, does it? I'm in no shape to ride a bike or run around looking for them. And even if I could, then what? I'd probably just fall over and they'd have to carry me back. A great deal of use I'd be."

So instead he walked into the kitchen and started trying to find something to eat.

He couldn't ignore the distant buzzing in his mind, like he should remember something. But it didn't feel like a demon or some other threat, so he did his best to focus elsewhere.

* * *

Touma and Shu, both wearing their sub-yorois, raced towards where Seiji and Shin said they were waiting. They were making good progress as they ran – faster than they could have done on bikes.

"You know we're probably walking into a trap," Touma commented as he watched the path ahead, trying not to smile too much at the feel of the wind in his hair as they leapt forward.

"Yeah, well, then at least we'll have someone to fight," Shu replied, "I was getting antsy. Besides, who can handle the four of us, together?"

"The Mashou and Arago seemed to have an easy time of it," Touma commented dryly, "or just a bunch of Youja."

"Well… that was before! We're a lot… stronger now and we… uh…"

"I guess you're right," Touma replied, "We're at least a _little_ stronger than we were. It's hard to tell with the recovery and all, but I do feel a little stronger than I used to. It's like... like I'm more in tune with my armor or something. Then again, we are doing _this_ , aren't we?" He gestured down to the ground they covered as they moved along.

Shu smiled, "Yeah… now that you mention it." He looked at the ground curiously, "It's not _that_ so much as… I can feel the earth beneath us. The layers, the weight, the strength. Like it's a part of my body. Things weren't like that before."

"It could be related to the Shiroi Kikotei," Touma said, "or what happened with Arago… We'll have to talk about it later, and see how much our powers have changed. Right now, we need to focus on defeating this new demon. Hope he doesn't just pop out of thin air any time soon. I'd hate to be running to rescue friends and then get caught and need rescuing ourselves."

"Which means that's probably exactly what he'll do," Shu replied, "Hopefully he's looking in another direction than the one we're coming from." He grinned and then gasped, "Touma, get off the road!"

"What?"

"Now!"

Touma turned and leapt up to the top of a cliff, stumbling over some brush, followed by Shu, who whacked his comrade on the shoulder as he landed beside him.

"Kus-!" Touma gagged as Shu grabbed him and pushed him down against the ground. An explosion sounded behind them, and shards of concrete and dirt clods flew through the air. The pair shut their eyes against the dust.

Shu sat back up and crawled to the edge of the cliff, summoning his armor. Touma rubbed his side and looked around. He saw a rising pillar of smoke from where they'd been. He stared, shocked, before fumbling his way up to a standing position. He paused for a moment to look around again, then deactivated his sub-yoroi, grabbed his phone and called Seiji.

"He's here!" Shu called out. "He spotted us! Come out you asshole!"

Sarenbo materialized mid-air before the pair and Touma, staring in shock, fumbled with his first response to Seiji's question, then shouted, "He's here! We're a little ways up the road from you! Gotta go!" He stuffed his phone in his pocket and summoned his armor.

"Ahh, more senshi. Do _you_ have the Shiroi Kikotei?"

Shu raised his sansetsukon and growled, "Maybe we do, maybe we don't. You're not getting it in any case!"

"Hmph. Humans are too much trouble." Sarenbo threw a bolt of electricity at Shu, who deflected it back at the demon. Sarenbo easily dodged with a laugh.

"Ahh, you're a little stronger than your friends. That's pleasant."

"Haah!" Shu jumped and swung his sansetsukon at Sarenbo, who dodged aside. And so basically leapt into a side-hit by one of Touma's arrows. The demon was knocked out of the air.

"Darn it, Touma, I had him!"

Touma nocked another arrow and replied, "Sure you did."

Sarenbo pushed himself out of the indent he'd made in the ground, aimed, and fired another bolt of electricity back in the direction of the two senshi. Shu, already running for him, dodged aside. Touma had leapt into the sky earlier as the demon moved, aiming down at Sarenbo. He let loose another arrow, only this time Sarenbo was ready. He dodged the shot, aimed and fired off a column of water at Touma, who simply moved aside, grinning, "You're kidding! Trying to get me while I'm up here!" He fired another shot, and Sarenbo leapt into the air to dodge.

And then Shu landed a blow straight at the demon's head, knocking him into the ground.

"I don't get it," Shu commented, swinging his weapon in preparation for a final attack, "This guy took out Seiji and Shin? What, were they asleep?"

"Don't let your guard down!"

"I know, I know! One dead demon coming up." He started to run towards where Sarenbo had fallen, and so wasn't ready when a ball of lightning fell from the sky and surrounded him completely. A wave of pain went through him and he cried out.

"Shu!" Touma looked up and dodged another blast from Sarenbo, who had vanished and reappeared much higher up in the air. Touma aimed and fired up at him, but Sarenbo simply fired back a wave of boiling water, which went through Touma's attack and surrounded the senshi in another orb of energy.

* * *

The ceramic cup of water Ryo was lifting to his lips fell out of his hand and shattered on the floor, splattering his feet with hot tea. He put his arm out and leaned against the wall to try and deal with the wave of dizziness. He had a brief vision of Touma and Shu screaming inside glowing bubbles of crackling energy. "Ugh… the guys… where are… they're in pain. Why... why can I…?"

Byakuen growled and nuzzled his left leg, making Ryo look down at him. "Yeah, I… I don't know Byakuen. I…" He looked to the door. "I've gotta find them. I just… I have to help." The thought crossed his mind that he didn't even have any shoes on and he'd probably just kill himself or someone else trying to be brave.

The dizziness colored with the auras of the others went through his head again and he groaned. "Gotta go. Gotta find them…" He moved towards the door.

Byakuen growled again and pushed him away.

Ryo looked down at the tiger and frowned, "Byakuen, I _have_ to go. The guys, they… they're hurt. I don't get how I know, I don't know… I don't know that I can help… the armor might... It might take over again, and I don't know what it'll do, then. But I have to go. I have to." _Do I just want to go because there might be a fight? Is that what I want?_

But he wasn't sensing an enemy. He was just feeling the others. He could feel their pain, and it made him queasy and angry. Angry at whatever was hurting them. Maybe that was just another excuse for the monster in his chest– nobility in the face of greed. But it was the answer he needed: an excuse to leave.

"I have to go. I don't know what's out there. I don't know what I have to do, but I need to go help them."

Byakuen made a mewling sound, but Ryo pushed his way past and out the door.

* * *

"Hmph, you don't have the armor either." Sarenbo snorted. "I've fought four of you now. There should be five. I wonder where the fifth is hiding."

"Dammit we're too late!" Seiji ran forward, wincing as he moved. Shin followed close behind, moving even slower than him.

"So you survived," Sarenbo aimed down at them, "Perhaps now you'll tell me where the Shiroi Kikotei is."

"Never!" Seiji aimed and slashed down with a Rai Ko Zan at Sarenbo. Unfortunately, the demon dodged and trapped Seiji, who didn't move fast enough, in another ball of electrical energy, which slammed backward into Shin, trapping the other senshi as well.

"This could have gone easier on you all if you gave me what I wanted. Tell me where the white armor is!"

None of them replied. They focused on escape, struggling and trying to keep enough focus to summon an attack to destroy the traps or attack their captor. But the constant pain from the spell made any real focus impossible.

"Tell me where the last member of your little party is! I wager the armor is with him. If you do so, I will kill you all quickly. If not…" He increased the power output, making them all cry out in pain once more.

* * *

Ryo clenched Byakuen's fur as the cat ran down the road. He had his sub-yoroi on. He was very concerned that if he put on the Rekka armor, it would significantly decrease the time he would have to be valuable. Sure, he needed to be ready, but he didn't need to use up his energy just sitting on Byakuen's back. Even _this_ was hard, what with the increasing dizziness as they got closer to the others. His heart raced as he contemplated going back into another battle.

None of the others were home. He didn't have any numbers to call. He hadn't found any notes. There were no signs of an attack at the safehouse or along their route. He ran through all these reminders in his head constantly. The others wouldn't have just left him alone with no explanation or reason.

_A demon should create more destruction… and if one of the others used one of their armor's attacks, there should be more destruction. That's all the armors are, really. Weapons of chaos. If I can find that, I'll find them._

He caught sight of the skid marks on the road and looked around for a car. Sure, it might be something completely unrelated, but with the luck the Yoroi Senshi had…

_It's not like I could even recognize a car I've never seen if I saw it. I guess if they're just nearby… They feel close._

Byakuen slid to a halt as they came upon a large crater in the road. Ryo stared in shock, and Byakuen had to start moving again, circumventing the crater to move past it, for him to get back on track. "I guess that means we're probably close." He looked around and felt for his friends again, looking, of course, further along the road. He frowned as he heard voices, and tried to listen harder. "Byakuen, I have a feeling they're that way." He pointed, and the tiger sped off.

* * *

"You know that you're all going to die if you keep this up," Sarenbo said, looking over the senshi floating in the air, crying out in pain. "I'm amazed you've all even managed to remain conscious for so long. The armors are truly items of incredible value." He looked over them again, measuring. Even now, all together, they weren't enough to equal the power that had defeated Arago. There was something missing… "Tell me where the armor is, you fools, or die by inches!"

"Stop!"

Sarenbo turned to look down at Ryo, who now wore the Rekka armor, having summoned it as he neared the scene. He stood with Byakuen on the road and looked up at the demon and the orbs of energy floating beside him.

Ryo took in the sight of the others trapped in the energy orbs. Now that he was so close, the dizziness was starting to blur his vision a bit. He tried to stand as still as possible to maintain some appearance of strength. _I hope I don't collapse any time soon.._. The sight of the demon floating in the air before the others… Some sort of black and white frog armor monster… Memories of the battle with Arago returned. All the others captured and Ryo, injured and unable to help them...

A spike of anger made him unsheathe his swords.

_Fight!_

_Huh?_ Ryo looked around. _Who said that?_

_Fight!_

The urgency was eerie and Ryo did _not_ like having a creepy voice in his head encouraging him to fight and kill something. He tried to ignore it and demanded, "Let them go!" _Oh yeah, that'll stop him_.

"So, the last of the senshi!" Sarenbo replied, moving closer. "You must have the Shiroi Kikotei. Give it to me!"

Ryo took a step back. "What?"

Sarenbo vanished and reappeared a bare foot in front of him. He continued, "I grow weary of this game. Where is the white armor?"

"I-I don't-!" Ryo tried to jump out the way, but Sarenbo slashed down at him with a powerful blow the red senshi barely managed to block, which still knocked him back into the dirt.

"Your friends are _dying_ , senshi," Sarenbo raised his pike to point at Ryo, "as _you_ will die. Give me the white armor if you value any of your lives!" As the demon started to move forward, Byakuen roared and leapt, knocking the demon back with a blow to his shoulder. With a snarl, Byakuen forced the demon even further back from Ryo. Sarenbo eyed the tiger darkly. "Stupid beast! You think that _you_ can stop me?" The demon leapt backward and attacked with another burst of boiling water. Byakuen dodged aside, snatching Ryo with him as he leapt by grabbing the boy's left arm in his jaws.

Ryo looked over at the others. He didn't know how long they'd been trapped like that or how much more they could take.

_Fight!_

Now _that_ , he didn't have to argue with! He pulled his arm out of Byakuen's grasp as the tiger stopped, aimed and shot a burst of flame at Sarenbo, hoping to just kill him and end the trap spell.

Sarenbo dodged and struck back at the senshi with another blast of boiling water, drenching him and knocking him away from Byakuen and into the nearby cliff-face. Ryo cried out and stumbled to his knees. Only then did he start to feel the acid. It burned through his armor and pushed the dizziness back through whatever force was pushing him on to fight, making him feel even more tired. Combining that with his only partially recovered body… Byakuen moved protectively in front of him, snarling again at Sarenbo.

Sarenbo moved closer and laughed. "Is that all? You didn't even last a fraction of the time the others did. How pathetic." He pointed his pike down at Ryo's head and continued, "You clearly don't have the armor either. Such a weakling could never have something so powerful. Your aura, too, is far too weak for what I search for. Die!"

Ryo could feel the power build-up in the demon's weapon and urged his body to move. To fight back, even though he felt so weak… _I can't let Arago win. Can't let-_

Just as Sarenbo's attack flew at Ryo, a white light exploded before the demon, knocking him back.

"What the-what was that?" The demon stammered as he flew higher into the air.

 _Fire…_ Ryo could feel the flames wrapping around his body, forming the white armor from his battle with Arago. _It's the one from before. The Shiroi Kikotei!_ He cringed as pain filled him. _It burns!_ He floated in the air for a few moments after the armor's full formation, trying to move through the pain. It was a thousand times worse than even falling into the volcano had been. Once formed, he drifted back to the ground.

The smoke and light cleared and Sarenbo was able to get a full look at the senshi standing before him.

"There it is… the armor that defeated Arago." Sarenbo could feel the heat coming off of it as if he stood beside an enormous brazier. "Such an aura of power…" He raised his weapon and pointed at the senshi again, "It must be mine!"

Ryo looked at Sarenbo. The demon no longer appeared powerful and threatening, but puny and weak, like the Youja. Canon fodder.

_He hurt the others and keeps them trapped…_

_Fight!_

_I must destroy him!_

He raised his swords and focused on Sarenbo, crying out "Rage… of… Inferno!" A great lance of red-white flame struck out at the demon, completely incinerating him where he stood before he could even send off another attack. The energy spheres vanished, and the other senshi fell to the ground.

Ryo could feel the burst of fire as it blazed beyond the spot where Sarenbo died, burning towards the sky and lighting up the entire area.

_Fight!_

Ryo waited until the attack faded away, but saw nothing left. He reached out to find other demons, perhaps underlings Sarenbo had hidden for emergencies. But there was nothing. He couldn't feel the demon at all – he was most definitely dead.

_Fight!_

The pushing voice in his head was powerful, but common sense won through. _He's gone. There isn't any one else to battle…_ All Ryo could feel were the weak auras of the other senshi. As his mind reached for them, it broke through that strange presence's hold, and he saw the other senshi lying on the ground in pain. _My friends! They're hurt!_

Byakuen approached Ryo, who turned to look at the tiger. The burning aura around his body dimmed, and the rush of adrenaline from the attack faded. He felt how heavy his limbs were.

"Bya—" He fell forward and lay on the ground, his face in the dirt. The Shiroi Kikotei vanished, and he wore his pajamas again. Burns marked his shoulders and his arms where the acid had gotten to him. His feet were covered in dirt and cuts. He didn't move.

* * *

Hidden by the clouds, Sarenbo watched the dissipation of the attack that had destroyed his shadow. "Extraordinary," He exclaimed. "I truly must make that armor mine!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case this is a bit confusing: I know the original anime was created in the 80s. For the sake of plot bunnies, the story has been moved up to the present.


	3. A Challenge

It took a great deal of effort and time before Shu was able to move. Every part of his body _hurt,_ and he wanted so badly to just stay on the ground and sleep. But he had to find the others and make sure Sarenbo was gone. He sat up slowly and looked around. It was still nighttime, and the area was even more of a power-wrecked mess than it was when Sarenbo caught them: covered in craters, burned grass, melted gravel, and other detritus. The silence spoke of the absence of living wildlife. He spotted Touma lying nearby, slowly pushing himself up from the ground. Seiji was sitting with his back to a hill while his eyes were still shut. Shin lay on his back in the grass nearby, his eyes shut as well.

Shu managed to crawl over to Shin and shook his shoulder. "Shin? Shin!" _I know I'm the worst at sensing anyone, but it's pretty hard for even someone like me to miss how weak we all look this close up_. The sight of Shin's aura, a wavering pale bluish glow, was _not_ comforting. "Shin!"

The brown-haired senshi finally cracked open his eyes and looked up at Shu with a grimace, "I hear you, all right? Just... just tired..."

"Hang on, okay? We'll get you out of here." He squeezed Shin's shoulder.

Then something _very_ odd happened.

Shu felt his strength flag briefly, and then most of the pain and weariness faded. His eyes widened as Shin's aura brightened.

Shin's eyes opened fully. "What the-? I feel better all of a sudden..."

Shu pulled his hand away, very confused. "These armors just keep creeping me out more and more."

Shin pushed himself to a sitting position, wincing as he moved. "You can say that again. Did I imagine it, or was Ryo here?"

"He was here," Seiji replied, his eyes now open as he attempted to stand. "We made the Shiroi Kikotei again, and he got Sarenbo." The blonde senshi winced. "I don't know how much that helped. It's such an energy drain."

"Well," Touma commented, "We're not dead. I think that's better than what Sarenbo had planned."

"Where's Ryo now?" Shu asked. "He's not with us, and I doubt he ran back home somehow, even with Byakuen around."

Byakuen, sitting protectively by Ryo, had very good ears. When he heard his name he roared.

"Well," Touma said, "Guess we head that way and hope there aren't any _other_ large animals around roaring at us."

They walked very slowly, helping each other as much as they were able. Byakuen roared again, closer and closer as they kept on. They were shocked to see more burned craters on the ground - backlash from the attack Ryo had used. The grass formerly near the road was gone - burned entirely away. Byakuen stood on the road above the spot, watching them. After he saw them, he growled and turned away, walking away from them. When the senshi managed to climb onto the road, they found Ryo lying facedown on the concrete, with Byakuen seated nearby.

Like the others, Ryo's armor had deactivated and he wore his normal clothes - the pajamas he'd been sleeping in, which were now covered in dirt from the road and torn up in various places. He lay in a large melted crater of concrete in the middle of the street.

"Ryo?" Shin asked as he knelt beside his friend and shook the other boy's shoulder. There was no reply. His aura was very faint. Shin turned him over and listened for his breathing.

_Still alive, at least._

"We need to get out of here," Touma said, looking around. "There could easily be emergency vehicles and the curious out here soon enough. They're probably already on their way."

"Hope the car is still all right," Seiji commented, heading towards it. "I'd hate to have to walk back."

* * *

Two days later, Shin floated idly along in the lake near the safe house, his eyes shut and his arms spread out. The water comfortingly lapped at him and the sun warmed his skin.

"If you do that for much longer, you're just going to turn into a fish," Shu said, leaning his head on his elbow as he watched Shin.

Shin smiled and opened his eyes, turning his head to look at the other senshi, "Oh, I wouldn't do that. You might eat me!"

"Feh. You'd be too salty!"

"This is a freshwater lake, Shu."

"Well you'd be too _something_. And I'm happy with store-bought food while it's available, thanks."

"Sit like that too long and _you'll_ freeze that way."

Shu snorted and lay down on the grass, shutting his eyes as well. "Feh. I was still tired anyway."

"I'm amazed you can sleep there. The ground is _hard_."

"Well I like it. Feels just like a nice bed to me."

"Mud face."

"Seaweed brain."

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

Touma glanced down from the balcony where he had his laptop set up, and watched the other two senshi. "Well they seem to be improving."

Seiji, meditating in a corner with his eyes shut, replied, "That's good. The sooner we improve, the sooner we can deal with this 'Sarenbo'. Found anything more on the Shiroi Kikotei?"

"No. Nothing. I've been going through my family's files on the Tenku armor, trying to find some more information. But it hasn't been helpful."

"My family also knew little about the armors, beyond vague stories sent down through the generations."

"Well great. I just wish our families were a _little_ more specific about these things _._ "

Seiji opened his eyes and watched as Touma threw his hands up and leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his arms.

"Sorry Seiji. I'm just tired."

"You can get more sleep, Touma. You probably need it. We all do."

"I'll sleep through another _attack_ at this rate. We need to be ready, but none of us are really strong enough for any decent training sessions, and where would we train, anyway? In the ocean? In the wilderness? Up in the sky? Our powers are impossible to use in a practice arena without wreaking substantial havoc on the nearby area. The last things we need are civilian casualties and attracting the attention of the police or the government."

"Then we practice in the traditional fashion, with our current abilities. We rest, and we hope our enemies don't find us before we're ready."

Touma glared at his friend, "How can you be so calm, Seiji? Sarenbo wiped the floor with us!"

"We've overcome every other challenge," Seiji calmly replied. "We'll survive the next ones, too. We haven't attacked with four of us at a time yet, let alone five. If someone just as strong as Sarenbo comes along, we attack together, and we can take them down. He couldn't stand up to the Shiroi Kikotei, could he? That's our trump card."

"A trump card that seems bent on killing us every time we use it, apparently." Touma sat up and stared at his computer screen. "Arago could handle all that power, plus the Demon Mashou, and whatever other power he had before he absorbed us all. He didn't seem to have any setbacks. I'm guessing that's because he's a demon – a being made out of energy. He doesn't have a body that would be strained by the usage of such power. Or it just belonged to him at one point. It was a part of him. I guess it would be like being able to use your legs again after being paralyzed."

Seiji frowned and turned his head to look at the house, "Should we check on Ryo?"

"Is he awake?"

"Feels like it."

* * *

Ryo sat up in bed and looked around. The blinds were down, so the room was a little dark, but he could see cracks of sunlight here and there. As he stretched, Byakuen sat up on the floor by the left side of the bed.

"Hey boy," he said, patting the tiger on the head. "Sorry all I do lately is sleep. Maybe we'll go on a run sometime soon."

Byakuen grumbled in response.

Ryo still felt tired. He wondered if this was how animals felt before they began hibernating. He wondered if it _hurt_ so much. His whole body was sore, and even moving as he did in a wake-up stretch felt like too much. He tried to find a comfortable sitting position, but just ended up lying back down again. The pain faded a bit after that, and he stared up at the ceiling, thinking back to the fight with the strange demon.

He remembered it all. Trying to help, summoning the Shiroi Kikotei, that odd voice telling him to fight… He could recall it now, and still couldn't understand where it came from.

 _The armors used to be part of Arago. They might contain some of his essence… That_ IS _what helps give them their powers, after all…_

It couldn't be that Arago's cast-off essence was making him fight. That was just _beyond_ creepy. And terrifying.

 _But what else could it be? There wasn't anyone else but the one demon there, and the guys didn't want me there in the first place._ _They all knew that I was more likely to fall down dead than be of any use. That I survived what happened_ anyway _was sheer luck._ _The demon wanted to capture or kill me, not fight me. Telling an enemy to fight back in such a situation would be stupid._

What Ryo truly didn't want to think about was the question of whether it had been a part of his subconscious reacting to the plight of his friends along with the appearance of a new enemy. A desire for vengeance mixed with the desire for another fight… Was that why he'd done what he did?

His thoughts led him back to the previous time he'd woken up, when he'd been desperately repeating that he didn't like fighting. He didn't want battle. He didn't _kill for pleasure_.

But the Shiroi Kikotei had come back when he had been focused on some rather murderous thoughts, his own or not. The Shiroi Kikotei was formed out of a desire to fight; as Arago had been pushing the senshi into all the time he had been fighting them. According to Arago, battle made his powers stronger. Human emotions of hate and bloodlust were like the finest foods to his palate.

 _Is this how I become like the Demon Mashou?_ Ryo stiffened with the thought. None of the Demon Mashou had possessed the power of the Shiroi Kikotei. They had only possessed individual armor abilities. But they had worn the armors for centuries longer than the five senshi. They had great power of their own, and they had misused it. All but Shutendoji had even gladly joined with Arago in the end, sacrificing their own lives for his mad plans. Ryo did not know how such people came to be. He could only wonder.

 _I won't become them!_ He shut his eyes, repeating the words in his head, _I am not a Demon Mashou! I am not Arago! I am Rekka no Ryo! I am human! I am a friend to Shu and Shin and Seiji and Touma and Byakuen! I have a family and responsibilities. I am not a Demon Mashou! I am not a murderer…_

He heard the door open and opened his eyes. Seiji and Touma stepped inside. Touma carried a tray of food.

"Hey, it's the crazy sleepyhead with a death wish!" Seiji said, "How are you feeling?"

Touma set the tray down on Ryo's lap and sat on an empty space on the bed, while Seiji leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, watching.

"I… I…" Ryo looked down at the food and flexed his fingers, wincing even then. "I have hurts in places I didn't realize could hurt."

"Yeah, we're all getting a sense of that," Seiji commented. "The armors take energy from us when they do what they do, but they seem to do it universally. I suppose this means that if we have to do something really substantial, we won't lose use of our legs or arms. The effect will be spread all over. Small blessing, I suppose…"

Touma snorted.

"So what happened?" Ryo asked, not knowing how to respond to that, and buying time so he could get a better look at his two friends, who were trying to casually hide how beat up they were. "Who was that guy, and how did you get caught like that? Or how did you find him?"

Touma smiled and said, "Well, that's a bit of a long story…"

"We're all in this together," Seiji interrupted. "He shouldn't be kept out of the loop. Besides, it's old news."

Touma sighed and replied, "Fine, whatever. So here's what happened…"

As he explained, Ryo continued to study them. Their auras were faded slightly from normal. Although, oddly, he could see them better than he could before. Their lines were more distinct. He didn't know if that meant they had changed or his control over his abilities was improving.

He'd have to talk to Touma later.

There were worry lines on their faces and Seiji rubbed his arms rather frequently. Touma kept stretching. They were both smiling, but he could feel their pain. The fight had exhausted them. And as Touma revealed more about what happened, Ryo realized that this was _his_ fault. They had gone to fight Sarenbo alone because he, Ryo, was too weak to fight with the Shiroi Kikotei.

"So that's everything. How did you find us, by the way?"

Ryo looked up into Touma's expectant face. Then he looked back down at his hands. "I… I felt your pain."

"Huh?"

Ryo didn't look up and his face started to color. "I know it sounds stupid, but I mean… I got this monster headache and I just… some part of me _knew_ that it had to do with you guys. That you were in trouble or being hurt. I didn't know what was happening, but I knew that much. So I… I headed in the direction of that feeling. It felt kind of like following an aura… and I found you all there."

He tried to think of a better way to express it, but when no further questions were forthcoming, he looked up to see the surprised and confused expressions on his friends' faces.

Seiji said, "Ryo, that's… I mean, we've been feeling something similar."

"…You can't be serious."

"I am. There's something going on with the armors. They're changing the way our minds work. The way we see the world. The way we connect with one another. Ever since we woke up this time around, we've had a heightened sense of all the others in our group. It's been growing for a while, but it's so blatant now."

"Seiji is stronger with it than the rest of us," Touma commented. "But I think that's related to a natural affinity."

"Shin is strongest after me," Seiji returned. "We could all feel that you were… not really there for a while. When you woke up, I felt a change. At least, I connected it with you waking up. How long have you been awake?"

"I don't know, but not very long."

"Then I suppose that's that…" Seiji replied.

"How are Shin and Shu?"

"Oh, they're relaxing too. Just uh… I guess listen for them?" Seiji replied with a grin. "See how far you can stretch your senses, kind of like what we do to detect demons. But don't do it too much if you start to feel more tired. You're still recovering from, well… everything."

"Yeah," Touma scratched his head, "I tried it earlier when Seiji brought it up and I had a terrible headache for a couple hours. It's… a pain, to say the least."

Ryo smiled and closed his eyes. He instantly noticed Seiji and Touma's auras. It was like seeing and touching at the same time, without looking with one's eyes or physically touching a thing; altogether weird. He reached out with his mind, eerily like what he'd done when he pushed back against the presence of the Shiroi Kikotei, and after a few moments he felt the vague shapes of Shu and Shin – a blue and an orange set of glows floating outside and down a ways from where he, Seiji and Touma were. Their auras, although smaller at the current distance, had the same appearance as Seiji and Touma's – too weak.

 _They're all hurting for what they did for me…_ he thought with a grimace. _If I hadn't been sleeping and had been ready to fight, they wouldn't be in pain right now._

"We're hoping that we'll recover for real this time, before another enemy shows up."

Ryo opened his eyes and he and Seiji looked at Touma.

"You think we'll get another enemy?" Ryo asked.

"Well, it's clear from Sarenbo's appearance that there are more demon lords than just Arago out there. And from my research, though human knowledge of the demon realm is limited, I can combine what I remember from when we were there and, well… that place is vast. It's like a whole other world, simply existing on a different plane just beneath our own. It's at least as vast as our world, if not bigger. That makes it even more likely that there are more, perhaps a great many more, demons and demon lords than Arago. Word has evidently gotten out about the Shiroi Kikotei and its use during our battle with Arago. Like we thought, all of these creatures are apparently obsessed with power and getting more control over others, which the Shiroi Kikotei would do. So, like Arago came after us and our armors… these others will come after the Shiroi Kikotei, just like Sarenbo. And they might be even stronger than _he_ was."

"That's great," Seiji commented dryly. "We almost died fighting Arago and Sarenbo. Are we going to have to do that _every_ time we need to fight one of these guys?"

"We'll have to train some more is all," Touma replied. He sighed and continued, "I know it's not the answer we all want, but that's all we can really do. We'll work on group fighting strategies. We'll get more research and information. These new enemies won't be like Arago, where we're running from battle to battle. We'll be more prepared and ready to fight, and we'll know each other better and how to fight as comrades."

"We'll need to learn more about our armors' capabilities," Seiji said. "It's clear from the behavior of the Demon Mashou that they can do more than single attacks. I'd like to learn about that."

"Agreed. If we could do more with our armors, things would probably be a lot easier."

"Which means we'll have to train with the Shiroi Kikotei, won't we?" Ryo asked quietly.

The other two senshi looked at him as he absently rubbed his arms. "I can barely control it. I'll have to learn how to use it properly."

"Considering the strain it puts on you," Touma said carefully, "And how it will hopefully only be called on as a last resort, we'll have to limit practice with it as much as possible, although I agree. We probably _will_ need to work with it, if only to get more control over the damage wreaked by it. However, I do think that we might be able to deal with more problems if we learn more about our normal armors first, like Seiji said. The Demon Mashou were kicking our butts long before Arago reformed. I get the feeling that if we could get at least close to that level, we wouldn't always need the Shiroi Kikotei to save us."

"The problem with the Shiroi Kikotei is that it's strong _and_ inconvenient," Seiji said. "It can beat anyone, apparently, but it nearly kills us in the doing. No power comes without a price, and I guess _that's_ the drawback."

"Well the armor was a part of Arago originally," Touma replied. "It wasn't made with the idea of _humans_ using it, so the fact that we're tapping into this unknown potential… We can just hope that we don't blow ourselves up in the doing."

Ryo balled his hands into fists and said, "Yeah. I… I think I need some air." He set the tray of untouched food on the nightstand and got out of the bed, grabbing a nearby shirt and tugging it on.

"You sure?" Touma asked, "You still need—"

"I won't be able to sleep if I'm lying here, thinking about all this. I still haven't come to grips with this battle…war…whatever it is we're up to with the demon plane. My father always said that I was calmer out in nature. I take after him that way. I'll be better able to clear my head and relax out there than lying down in here, like I have for so long. And Byakuen could use a run, anyway."

The tiger growled in response.

"Come on, boy." He stepped past the others and moved to the door.

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Seiji asked.

Ryo could hear the concern in their voices. They didn't want to leave him alone in his condition. _Heck, with my recent decision to run off while still recovering, in their shoes I'd do the same!_

But that didn't mean that he liked being babysat. He _needed_ air and to stretch his legs.

"No, it's all right. You guys rest up. I've got Byakuen to help me if something goes wrong, and I'll just call if I need something." He pulled out his cellphone and got their numbers before putting it back in his pocket. Then he turned and walked out the door, feeling their gazes on his back and trying hard to pretend he didn't.

* * *

Out in the woods, he breathed the fresh air and tried to stretch again. He winced in pain and sat down on the grass, leaning his head down low and breathing deeply.

Byakuen came close and rubbed his face against the boy's forehead.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Byakuen," Ryo said to him. Then the senshi stood and started walking around, trying to stretch tired legs slowly and carefully. "I've been sleeping for ages and I'm still tired. Humans _suck_."

Byakuen snorted at that.

"Well they _do_." He scratched the tiger's ears and winced. There was an odd buzzing in his ears again. _Now what? Everyone is at the house, and they're all fine_ …

* * *

Up above, Sarenbo had been watching the senshi move around. They hadn't been very vigilant as they left the battlefield. He had easily followed them back to their home and waited for his chance. His failure had been gathering the five together – they managed to activate the armor and use it against his shadow to destroy it. He needed to keep them apart, which should be easy now. After all, he only needed the one that actually had the armor.

Plus, he wanted to capture it, not fight its bearer to the death. He would do that best in a place of strength. Now the fool who wore it had separated himself from the others. He could see the white armor's aura following the whelp like a shadow, now that Sarenbo knew what to look for. _I just need_ _to get him out of here…_ _and I have a good idea how._

* * *

"Yoroi Senshi!" Sarenbo called.

Ryo looked up, alarmed, and quickly activated his sub-yoroi. He couldn't see anything or sense anyone nearby, but the voice had come from above. Byakuen snarled and Ryo cried out, "Show yourself!"

A translucent image of Sarenbo appeared before him. Ryo backed up, still ready to fight, and wary of the nearby trees in case this was simply a distraction.

"Senshi!" Sarenbo repeated, "I wish to battle you for possession of the white armor."

Ryo narrowed his eyes. "You won't get it, but I'm ready if you are." _The guys are going to kill me… But none of us can really fight him right now. If I call the others, the Shiroi Kikotei might come out, and what happens to us then? Or he could just go after the others again…_

"Ha! You know, the one good thing about you humans is your nerve. Your will to fight. It almost rivals a lower demon's." Sarenbo's tone became serious as he continued, "But we won't fight here, unless you want your friends to perish this time. They can't handle the type of power you or I use."

"You couldn't handle all of us before." A white lie – Ryo couldn't handle the _Shiroi Kikotei_ before – but still… _Why didn't he kill the others? He had the opportunity. Does he know that all the armors are needed to form it? But if so, why would he threaten to kill them? He'd never get it that way._

"Oh, but I handled your comrades easily before. You merely destroyed my shadow, and that only stumbled because of the Shiroi Kikotei. But I see what the armor has done to you and your fellows. Will you kill your friends, just to fight me?" Sarenbo knew the human was getting upset at his words. They were so ridiculously easy to manipulate. "I was in the Demon Realm when you first entered it with your friends. Your audacity was… intriguing. I wonder, will you hide behind the Shiroi Kikotei at all times?"

" _You_ hid behind a shadow."

Sarenbo snorted. "Not this time. This time will be real. You and I, sword to trident. What say you?"

Ryo thought it over. Firstly, it was a stupid, bad idea and stank of 'trap'. Safety in numbers, not solo missions of vengeance. He was still recovering. When he'd been stronger, he'd lasted all of a _minute_ against Sarenbo, and that had included getting his ass handed to him, and that wasn't even against the real Sarenbo, according to the demon. The Shiroi Kikotei was the one weapon that had worked on him.

Ryo tensed. _But we agreed that it might kill one or all of us if we summoned it again._

But if they were protecting the world from demons, then keeping the demons away from the armors and keeping them out of the human world was part of the Yoroi Senshi's job description.

_So what choice do I have?_

"I can see you're hesitant," Sarenbo leered.

"I'd be an idiot not to see this for a trap."

"I merely wished to make things simple." He turned his gaze towards the house. "But I suppose that I could always just kill your friends to make sure that our fight is private."

Ryo's hands balled into fists. "No! You leave them alone!" _Kuso_ … _if he goes after them again… Would I even be able to stop him before he gets there? Would I be able to help? The others are relaxing right now - I'm the only who knows he's here. He could... Oh, they are going to_ kill _me, if_ he _doesn't kill me first._ "Fine. I'll fight you. Where?"

Sarenbo chuckled. "Humans are so simple. Come then." His image floated into the air and moved away.

Ryo looked at Byakuen, who stared steadily back, awaiting the boy's move. After a last glance back at the house, Ryo shook his head and hopped on the tiger's back. They both followed after Sarenbo.


	4. The Armor Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is where the graphic violence happens. And a bit of body horror.
> 
> This fic uses the Japanese names, not the English dub names, so here's a guide for new names used in this chapter.
> 
> Iron Rock Crusher = Gan Tessai (Shu's attack)  
> Arrow of Shockwave = Shin Ku Ha (Touma's attack)  
> Flare up now = Sou En Zan (Ryo's attack)

Touma sat with his laptop on the balcony once again while Seiji stood by the railing, watching the edge of the woods where Ryo had vanished. The blonde senshi occasionally walked away, paced back and forth, and then went back to the railing, tapping his foot restlessly when he stopped.

"You could always go and practice," Touma suggested, "or watch TV or read a book or something. Rather than make me nervous, anyway."

"I should have followed him," Seiji replied. "If he collapses out there…"

"You think I didn't want to?" Touma replied. "He has Byakuen. The tiger acts smarter than us most of the time. Something I've been meaning to ask Ryo about…" he frowned, shook his head, and continued, "If something happens, I'm sure that he'll at least come and get us."

"Great. Intelligent tigers. Suicidal friends. Magical armor. Demons." Seiji put his hand on the rail. "Kuso, I miss home, where things made sense!"

Touma smiled sadly. "Personally, I find it all morbidly fascinating. Or at least thinking that lets me cope with it all." When that didn't make Seiji laugh, Touma sighed and tried a different tactic. "What would you be doing if you were at home?"

Seiji raised his head and looked off into the distance, eyes misty. "Preparing for the next tournament. Studying. Spending time with my family."

"What did you compete in? Kendo?"

"Yeah. But I'm considering becoming a police officer like my father, so I've also been learning about his job."

"That sounds good."

"What about you? What would you be doing?"

"Reading. Studying. Maybe even going to interviews."

"So you're this nerdy all the time?"

Touma rolled his eyes.

"Did you do anything with your archery before this?"

"I practice," Touma replied. "I'm in a club at school. But I focus more on my other school work."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope. You?"

"Yeah. Two sisters. I'm the middle sibling."

"Wow. Are they a handful?"

"Yeah." Seiji was quiet for a while before he continued, "What do we do if this carries into the school year?"

"Eh?"

"This fight or campaign or whatever it is... We're on Break now. What happens when we have to go back to our _normal_ lives, like school and jobs? I mean, yeah, fighting demons, saving the world… but do we just drop everything and do _this_ from now on?" He threw his arms out to the local area. The light shifted oddly, and Touma did not think it was natural.

Touma stared at his computer screen and thought of his interests at school. His hopes for the future. He had plans. Being a Yoroi Senshi was not part of them, and they might even impact them greatly if Seiji was right.

"I… I don't know," he finally replied. "Demons have existed for so long. I wonder if we're actually supposed to rid the world of them. And where would we even start?"

"And why?" Seiji glared out at the woods. "Is this our curse? Is there no one else? Where did Kaos come from? He looked like some sort of monk. Is there an order out there that knows everything we're missing; everything we _need_ to know? What the armors do, how to deal with the demon realm, what our duties are, how we leave it if we have to or just feel a need to, or how we can go _on_ with our lives? Or if we're even allowed to anymore!"

In the silence that followed, Shin and Shu walked up to the balcony. "Something wrong?" Shu asked. "We heard yelling."

Seiji moved away from the railing, glaring at the screen door instead. Touma stood up with his laptop and moved to the edge so that the others could see him. He had a light smile on his face and kept a calm tone, "We were just talking about a few things."

"Well try not to wake up Ryo," Shin said. "The guy needs to rest up."

"Oh, he's not here," Touma said. "He got up a while ago and went out for a walk."

"What?" Shu said, moving forward with a look of alarm. "Where?"

"He—"

"He moved!" Seiji ran to the railing, looking out at the woods again with a hard look on his face. "He's off the property."

"Where is he?" Shin asked.

"I don't know. But he's moving fast, and I don't like it." He pulled his cellphone out, dialed Ryo's number, and hit the call button before putting it to his ear while tapping the railing with his fingers and following what he could feel of his comrade's progress, staring in the direction Ryo had gone. After several moments, he got the phone's voicemail. "Kuso!" He put his phone in his pocket and ran into the house, down the stairs, and out to the car. Touma, after taking a moment to put his laptop down safely, was hot on his heels. Shin and Shu were already waiting by the car. "Touma, keep calling him," Seiji said as he got into the vehicle's driver seat. "I can track him."

"You sure he isn't just taking his walk… elsewhere?" Shu asked as they all got in and Seiji started the engine up.

"He isn't stupid," Touma replied as he called Ryo's cellphone a second time. "He would tell us if he was going that far away."

"Maybe he forgot?" Shin offered.

"Yeah," Seiji said sarcastically, "we're getting attacked by random demon lords; we're all battered from fighting, and we're dealing with so many unknowns in unfamiliar territory that leaving our only safe haven must be the smartest idea ever, especially without warning the rest of us."

"So he's been caught," Touma stated. "Or he's being baited or chased."

"That's my idea."

"Should we suit up?"

They drove fast. Seiji had some difficulty focusing on the road and the red aura in his mind that told him where Ryo was. "I'd rather not crash because one of you blinds me with your armor activation light. But we'll have to do it once we stop."

"But how come none of us saw or felt the demon?" Shu asked, "If there _was_ one, anyway…"

"Maybe the demon has a special ability we don't know about," Touma replied, handing his phone to Shin so he could talk, "Or it's simply that we were all otherwise occupied, and Ryo was already something of a distance away. That would explain why Seiji was the only one who could sense him. We're also still getting used to these abilities. Once we figure out what's what, we should get used to sensing what's where and so on. But until then… we'll just have to learn how to react fast to things."

"They can get into the woods, though," Shu said. "Why did we think we were safe where we were? There's nothing _stopping_ them from attacking us there. Is anyone else freaked out by this? They know where we are. They can find us where we eat. Where we _sleep_."

"We'll have to set up watches," Touma said. "I can look into better surveillance equipment. It might not be all that valuable for demons, but it might catch something and give us extra response time."

"He's still not picking up," Shin said, redialing Ryo's number and putting the phone back to his ear.

"I swear," Seiji growled, "if he's not dead when we find him, I'm going to kill him myself!"

* * *

 _Where are we going, the other side of Tokyo?_ Ryo wondered as they followed Sarenbo. He looked up at the sky, not liking the fact that they were heading towards a cloudier, darker area. _A storm on top of a fight with a demon… great._

Sarenbo's journey ended at a deserted pier behind a cluster of warehouses. He landed on the ground and fully materialized, facing them. Byakuen slid to a stop and Ryo hopped off. He summoned his Rekka armor. A red glow filled the air briefly, and then faded to reveal the fully armored Yoroi Senshi. He unsheathed his swords and stood ready to fight. Byakuen growled, standing protectively by Ryo's side.

"So, are you ready, Yoroi Senshi?" Sarenbo waved his trident experimentally.

Ryo glared, hoping he wasn't sweating too visibly. The strain, even just standing there, was great. "I'm ready."

"Good." Sarenbo aimed and fired a bolt of boiling water at Ryo, who dodged and threw out his own attack as he moved. But there was so little power behind it that Sarenbo simply deflected it.

"Pathetic," the demon scoffed. "Even worse than our previous encounter. I won't even bother wasting my—"

Byakuen lunged as Sarenbo aimed again and grabbed the demon's left arm in his jaws, knocking him over. With a toss of the tiger's head, Byakuen threw Sarenbo into the water. After half of a gargle, Sarenbo vanished beneath the water's surface.

Byakuen padded back to Ryo, who smiled and patted the tiger on the head. "Good job Byakuen. Although that might have made it a bit harder for me to aim at the guy. I don't think the water is going to kill him. That would be too easy."

Thick, dark green vines thick as an adult human's arm burst from the water's surface and raced for the dock. Ryo stared in surprise for a moment before hopping on Byakuen's back. The tiger ran before the vines could reach them, dodging them as they raced to snatch at the pair. The tiger avoiding many, but not all. They finally caught at Byakuen's legs and Ryo's torso, snatching the senshi from the tiger's back, while smashing Byakuen against a nearby warehouse wall.

"Byakuen!" Ryo shouted, trying to move his hands so he could use his Sou en Zan or simply cut at the vines with his swords. But the vines were quickly forming a cocoon around him, trapping his arms at his sides. With the tightness and thickness of the cocoon, it was also getting rather hard for him to breathe.

* * *

Sarenbo stood in the mud at the bottom of the harbor, directing the vine monster. A beast that enjoyed strangling prey to death while it sucked their fear from their very skin. It was powerful, but not strong enough to crush armor, so Sarenbo was not concerned about losing his prize.

Sarenbo's senses prickled and he felt the arrival of the other four senshi. He growled. They would not interfere!

 _Deal with the approaching human rabble!_ he called to a nearby contingent of his Youja, standing at the ready at his back. As they swam to the surface, he looked back at the monster, tightening his grip on his trident. _I will not be interrupted! The Shiroi Kikotei will be mine!_

* * *

"Where are we?" Shu asked as they pulled into the warehouse area.

"By the pier," Shin replied. "Can't you smell the salt?"

Shu sniffed and quickly covered his nose. "Well _now_ I can."

Touma looked up. "I don't like the look of that." He pointed at the sky. "Storm, maybe. All we need is to look for someone or even _fight_ in a storm."

"As long as I can see," Seiji said, stopping the car so they could all get out. "He's up ahead. Let's get ready, in case of… well, anything." Multi-colored light illuminated the area briefly as they all summoned their armors.

"All right," Seiji continued. "Let's—" He drew his no-dachi and dropped into a fighting stance. The others were initially confused but quickly prepared for a fight.

"What is it?" Touma asked quietly, looking around for enemies.

"Demons," Shin replied, sensing the incoming hostiles himself. "A lot of them."

"Well that's just great," Shu said, pointing his sansetsukon in the direction Seiji was watching. "So what do we do? Wait for them to attack? Run for it? Split up and search for Ryo?"

"He's past them," Seiji replied. "We'll have to get through them to get to him."

"Splitting up might be a good idea," Touma offered. "Two of us go for Ryo. The other two distract the demons."

"But if it's someone like Sarenbo-" Shin started.

"It's not him," Seiji said. "Feels like Youja."

"That's what you said last time, and it was Sarenbo."

"I'm sure this time. They're a lot closer than he was."

"All right," Shu said, eyes roving the area ahead for sight of the enemy. They could already hear the thud of the Youja's boots. "Who's going?"

"Shin and Seiji," Touma replied. "If Ryo's hidden, Seiji has the best chance of finding him. And if he's underwater…"

Shu blanched, "Kuso."

"Come on, Shin," Seiji said, jumping up to the top of a nearby building. Shin followed suit.

Touma nocked an arrow and kept careful aim in the direction Seiji had been watching. "Be ready, Shu. We might need to provide a rather large distraction."

Shu swallowed and started swinging his weapon in preparation. "Ever heard that story where the teacher always gave their students tons of homework every day. More than they could really do." They could see the Youja approaching now: a mass of green and black armor. "The students would ask why he was such a taskmaster. They just couldn't finish it all. And the teacher responds, 'so you learn to live with hardship'."

"I'm still hurting, too," Touma replied with a light smile on his face, "if it makes you feel any better." He aimed at one Youja, fired, and the front row of soldiers went down in a wave of golden light.

"Hey uglies!" Shu shouted. "Come and get us!" He ran forward and smashed his way through them, knocking their weapons aside, throwing some of them bodily out of his path, and running others down.

* * *

Shin and Seiji leapt from one warehouse roof to the next and so on until they saw a pier covered in green vines. They spotted Ryo, partially visible by his red helmet and armored legs, struggling in a vine cocoon that was slowly being dragged to the water. Byakuen, caught in his own vine cocoon, was finally able to shake and bite the vines off and leapt forward, heading for the red senshi. Even more vines flew out to grab him and fling him back into another warehouse. The dent he left in the building was sizable and he struggled to stand up. He roared in pain.

"Kuso!" Seiji aimed and prepared to attack the whole mass and break Ryo free, but a Youja jumped up onto the rooftop and attacked him, forcing him back. Shin moved forward to help as more Youja appeared, but Seiji yelled, "No! Get Ryo out of there!"

Shin hesitated, then knocked away his two attackers and leapt not into the vines, but into the water.

 _Tackling the vines is_ suicide, he thought as he dodged grasping tentacles and raced along. _I need to find out who or what is controlling them and stop it._ Unfortunately, once he was beneath the surface, a mob of Youja met his eyes. Before he could get away, he was noticed and swarmed.

* * *

Ryo wasn't fully conscious of what was going on. The vines were strangling him. He had watched as he was dragged off the dock and plunged into the water, struggling vaguely to break free without any effect as the water surged forward, attempted to _drown_ him, too. He was dimly aware of his face cover coming down and a small bubble of air forming around his head, making breathing easier. He was able to wake a little more, but he was still just so tired…

The water was making his armor fizzle.

 _Fire drowning in water_ , he thought, vaguely, finding it morbidly funny.

He briefly took note of the reappearance of Sarenbo, standing in the mud below where the senshi floated. The demon looked up at the senshi briefly, and then swam a short distance away. The vines trapping Ryo followed him.

Sarenbo directed the vines to arrange the senshi in a five-pointed star. He had a couple ideas of how to get ahold of the armor without the wearer's permission – something the armors required. The first was to simply get rid of the bothersome body taking up space inside of it. Acid – at least the kind he specialized in, which did relatively little damage to spirit and a great deal to tender human flesh – was a good way to accomplish this task. The armor would always recover from the minor damage, but the human host most likely would not. He pointed experimentally at the senshi's left arm, and an acid spear shot through Ryo's left elbow.

All Ryo could feel was agony. His body struggled of its instinctive volition to free itself from its bonds and so get away from the pain, but was paralyzed by the circle. Unable to escape, Ryo screamed himself hoarse.

He felt something heavy clamp over his throat, stopping the scream and any further attempts at crying out.

"Enough squealing," Sarenbo hissed, making sure the silencing spell was secure before moving his thoughts back to the acid spear now lodged securely in place and making sure that the armor was not irreparably damaged. The area around the spear was melted a bit, but he could detect that the armor was otherwise undamaged. _It will recover from that, with time._ The familiar smell of burnt flesh met his nose, reminding him of battles long past. _Good. It's working. Although I wonder why the white armor does not appear for its bearer's defense.._. _No matter. I'll just take the armor and figure out how to summon it on my own._ "This will be over quickly," he added aloud, forming another spear.

The pain burned and crackled and sparked – like how boiling water felt before Ryo had received the Rekka armor, only this was a thousand times _worse_. It had no end, and he wondered that he was still alive to keep feeling it. Ryo's throat felt raw from his attempts to vocalize it, even against the silencing spell. Almost immediately, a second burst of pain shot through his right elbow, and his vision turned white.

* * *

A short distance away, Shin was finishing with an attack when he felt a burst of pain through his left arm. He cried out and had to fight a strong desire to crouch while he continued dodging blows to stay alive.

 _I wasn't hit in the arm!_ He thought. _None of the Youja were using magic or poison, and none of them are-ugh this hurts-firing arrows. I don't even have one in my arm._ He frowned as he felt a bad sensation in his senses. _Acid in the water. Dammit, don't demons have anything better to do than kill the fish?_ _Wait… it's near Ryo! What's going_ on _?!_

* * *

Seiji was still stuck on the same rooftop as earlier. The Youja were gone, but now he was struggling with the vines that had risen to look for _him_. He yelped as he felt a twinge of pain in his right arm. He kept moving, grunting with effort as he tried to ignore it.

* * *

The whiteness was pushed back for the familiar ocean blue as pain trapped Ryo in a vice.

 _I can't do anything._ Ryo still tried, vainly, to move, to break free, to call out, but he was trapped and being strangled and there was only pain, pain, pain. He gave up again, but his body instinctively tried to spasm, only to be stopped by the paralysis. _I'm dying and it hurts and I can't do anything. Please, just make it stop… let me fall asleep or something… I can't bear this!_

But the armor would not let him go. It dragged him back to wakefulness every time blackness threatened to fully overtake him.

Two more acid spears pierced through his legs.

Sarenbo eyed him curiously. "Hmm… Still alive? I should think that with most of your body rotting away, you'd be dead by now. The armor must be even more powerful than I thought. I think I'll just fix that." He pointed right at the senshi's head.

* * *

Shu stumbled as he felt pain bloom in his left knee. A Youja took advantage and knocked him over. Thankfully, Shu was still able to bring up his sansetsukon to block any more blows.

 _What the-? None of them hit my knee._ Although he was focused on the fighting, a scream suddenly filled his ears and he almost lost his grip on the weapon.

 _Ryo!_ He knocked the Youja holding him down aside, leapt to his feet, and shouted "Gan Tessai!" before stumbling to his one good knee. The attack cleared the vicinity. Through the pain he looked out for new enemies and set his jaw. _Hold on, buddy. We're coming for you!_

* * *

Touma had taken to the rooftop of a nearby warehouse to shoot at enemies as they approached below. When he felt the pain in his right knee, he stumbled over and only a quick grab for the ledge stopped him from falling off the roof entirely. He quickly retook his position and, managing a pained kneeling position that let him at least see over the edge of the building, fired a Shin Ku Ha to clear the gathering that had formed in his brief absence.

 _They don't stop._ Even as the light faded, more Youja appeared on the horizon, heading for him. He looked over at Shu, who was similarly surrounded. _We can't keep this up forever. And I don't remember one of them hitting me in the knee. Am I getting tired already?_

* * *

Sarenbo was abruptly blown aside and slammed into the sand and mud a distance away. The demon's distraction caused the spears embedded in Ryo's limbs to explode in a burst of previously contained energy, spraying Ryo with acid. His armor was thankfully still intact enough to protect him from the diffused, weaker spray. The binding spell was also still in place, so Ryo was unable to move his head, but through the pain, he vaguely sensed Shin's approaching light blue aura.

Shin swam towards him through the water, stopped by his side and stared in shock.

_Kuso… what's that monster done to you?_

Ryo, somewhat unsure over whether or not Shin was a hallucination and still strongly distracted by the pain of his injuries as well as the water's effect on his armor, did not know what to do. He still could not speak. But he felt himself wake up a little, happy to see Shin there. Then he realized that his armor was also waking up in reaction to Shin. The armor was also evidently happy Shin was there - in whatever way the armor could be _happy_ \- for other reasons.

_Fight!_

Images of his friends crumpled on the ground flashed through Ryo's mind, coupled with the sheer hunger he sensed in that unnatural voice. If he could speak, Ryo would have screamed at the other senshi to run. But the Rekka armor lunged for the Suiko armor, which glowed bright blue around a surprised Shin.

The blue senshi was paralyzed as the Shiroi Kikotei took over, sapping his extra strength and using the combined might of the two armors to piggyback to the other three senshi on dry land.

Touma, backed into a corner as the Youja came nearer, watched them all get knocked off the rooftop in a burst of dark blue light.

Shu, shielding himself from more blows, watched in shock as the Youja were burned up by an orange glow.

Seiji, tangled up in the vines and trying once again to cast an attack on newly approaching Youja, dropped to the ground as the vines burned away, and saw the demons vanish as green light engulfed him.

They were all frozen in place as the Shiroi Kikotei took up their energy. It finally headed back with a shriek to Ryo.

The Shiroi Kikotei roared and Ryo felt the pain of the acid's damage fade. A warm blanketing sensation surrounded him, and he felt the armor cocoon him, burning through the vines holding him and the pathetic silencing spell. The armor lashed out at the spell circle on the ground, creating a cloud of sand and mud around him and destroying the spell that kept him frozen. He could finally breathe properly, and even speak, but the Shiroi Kikotei was already drawing so deeply into his reserves and pulling him along with its battlelust that he could do little more than try not to collapse.

Sarenbo, filled with alarm and anger at Shin's arrival and attack, was already swimming forward to confront the senshi. He saw the Shiroi Kikotei form and hissed, "Very well. Let's see if I can take you like this. After all, you're in _my_ territory now." He raised his trident to attack.

Ryo was caught in the middle of the seductive warmth of the inferno, the armor's battlelust, and the exhausting energy drain created by the armor's need, coupled with his wounds and the sense of helplessness as the armor dragged him along like a puppet on strings. He was in agony as the spirit of the armor drew his swords and raised his arms to attack, but he was able to rasp out the words, "Rage… of… Inferno!" He focused all his will and pain on Sarenbo. An enormous burst of fire emerged from his swords, cracking the metal of the swords with its ferocity, and blew Sarenbo entirely away with barely a cry of alarm, boiling the water nearby and causing the vine monster to shrivel and blacken.

Shin, watching in shock, sweated in the heat and tried to ignore the death cries of nearby fish and animals.

The remaining flames of the attack faded into the distant waters, and Ryo stood for a moment, purely under the power of the armor, staring blankly ahead at where he'd cast the attack. He felt the armor's exultation, and knew it mirrored his own at seeing the demon defeated. He'd killed again.

His mind was too exhausted to process the spirit's urge to fight more, and his weakness took over, pushing the armor away from view as it turned to full-time healing his wounds. When that overwhelming will was gone, Ryo sagged forward, floating freely in the water, unconscious. The Shiroi Kikotei faded, revealing the Rekka armor, which was scorched and melted in various places, but refused to leave him otherwise unprotected.

Shin, also released from the pull of the Shiroi Kikotei, breathed a sigh of relief. The pain in his arm was gone and he felt lighter. He focused on the poison nearby and managed to dissipate it – he could do nothing for the dead fish, but he could mitigate future problems. With that done, he swam forward, grabbed Ryo, while trying to ignore the molten, gruesome mess he saw on his friend's arms and legs, and then swam to the surface. When he broke into open air, he floated for a bit, breathing heavily. He looked down at Ryo, who was still unconscious.

"Shin!" Seiji ran down the nearest dock, followed by Touma, Shu, and Byakuen. "You found him!"

"Yeah. He's hurt bad, though. Sarenbo got him." Shin looked hard into the eyes of the others. "The Shiroi Kikotei was summoned and it destroyed Sarenbo."

Touma's expression was hard. "We felt it."

Shu rubbed his left thigh. "I'm really starting to _hate_ that thing."

"You okay?" Seiji asked, looked down at the pair in the water. "Can you get out?"

"I think the water is helping a lot," Shin replied, "But I think that getting out is still beyond me. What about the Youja?"

"All gone," Shu said as Seiji looked around for a ladder.

Touma reached out, "Wait a second. Let me try something." He focused on the pair. A translucent silver bubble surrounded them, and they rose slowly out of the water, floated up to the dock, and landed near the other senshi. The bubble vanished, and a torrent of seawater, trapped inside the bubble with the senshi, gushed out, lapping at their feet and splashing over the side of the pier. Shin staggered to the ground with the extra burden of Ryo's out-of-water weight and his own exhaustion. Ryo's armor deactivated, leaving him in his civilian clothing. Burn marks covered his torso and face once more, reminiscent of their last battle with Sarenbo, but worse was the red, black and, worst of all, _yellow_ coating each of his limbs, and the smell of burnt flesh that filled the air. They all stared in shock. Shu swallowed, trying not to throw up.

Touma staggered and Shu caught him so that he did not fall over. "More tiring… than I thought…" the blue senshi murmured.

Seiji moved towards Shin and Ryo and took Ryo's right arm with his own. He wrapped his left arm around Ryo's back, helping Shin hold him up.

"How did you do that?" Shu asked Touma, doing his best to avoid staring at Ryo.

Touma smiled, "I focused the wind around them. An adaptation of something I did before."

"What happened down there?" Seiji asked, looking in shock over Ryo.

"Let's just get out of here," Shin said. "He needs help. We all do."

Seiji led the group to the car. "Where should we go?" He asked as they loaded up, Ryo going in the backseat, as gently as possible. "To the hospital this time? Those burns…"

"And say what?" Touma asked, bitterly. "That he got them from fighting with a demon? Or that we pulled him out of a burning building somewhere that we have to report to the police? He doesn't have any ID on him. None of us are related to him, and someone will have to look into that because either we ran into him in the middle of nowhere and his next of kin need to be contacted, or they have to start filing paperwork to pay for it all and figure out how he got the way he is, possibly sticking us in police lock up as his assailants. Heck, we don't even know what he'll do to the hospital equipment while he's there. The armor has been acting crazy lately – if it starts acting up and he burns through equipment…"

"Yeah," Shin said. "Plus, Sarenbo is gone, as far as I know, but he came back once. He might be able to do it again. Or other demons could come along. He'd be in an area filled with normal people, too. If a demon attacked him there, think of all the damage they could cause. Even calling out a doctor to treat him would be practically signing the person's death warrant."

"Well, so what do we do?" Seiji demanded. "Treat him ourselves? Do any of _you_ know how to treat burns?"

"…I know where we could find some medical information online," Touma offered. "I could always try something…"

"…You've got to be kidding," Seiji said. "He could _die_! Or at least lose a limb, or use of something!"

"What choice do we have?"

Shin, despite himself, was looking over Ryo's wounds. _I thought most of him was just battered all to heck because of the acid… but I saw him move his arms in the Shiroi Kikotei. Something's_ wrong _here, and it's not just his injuries and the ordinary demon mess we're used to._ His eyes widened. "Guys, shut up. Look at this." He pointed at Ryo's right arm. The clothing material was mostly gone, and all that was left behind was mostly gruesome dark blisters.

But as they watched, flesh smoothed itself out and became a nice healthy dark peach color.

"Uso…" Shu and Seiji said together.

"Incredible," Touma said. "I… what am I even looking at? I knew the armors healed us but that's… that's incredible."

"You think the armor is doing that?" Shu asked. "He's not even wearing any of it."

"It could be leftover energy," Touma said. "He was wearing the Shiroi Kikotei before, which we all know is just full of energy. It has enough to take out Arago, after all. We know the armors need us to act, though. It probably realized that Ryo was in danger or… or dying, like when our armors didn't deactivate when Arago tossed us out to the winds and we were stuck in those extreme environments. They protected us. So it started to heal him, so that he could use it. And it still needs him for whatever it is we're supposed to be doing."

"So we're going with the whole armor sentience theory?" Seiji demanded, moving away from the car. "They're stuck to us and we can't get them off?" His tone was angry, but he was also crossing his arms to hide his shaking. The sight of Ryo's injuries and his miraculous healing had rattled the blonde senshi deeply.

"I don't know!" Touma put his hands on his eyes and rubbed them hard, feeling the ache in his bones from the fight and the exhaustion from looking for answers to crazy problems and questions other people would wave away as wild fantasies. "Why should _I_ know? I'm pulling all of this out of my ass. You stick a guy whose body is magically healing far faster than is natural right in front of my eyes without any other explanation, throw an army of Youja at me and an entire _dimension_ of beings I never knew _existed_ until a few months ago and you expect answers from me! I just… we're _alive_ , Seiji. We're alive, and I don't know _why_ and the _fact_ that I don't _bothers_ me." He should have been ashamed. He shouldn't have been saying it all. But one thought led to another and he just kept on going with a string of things that he had never dared to say before. Things that exhaustion and watching a friend _dying_ had never pushed out before. "We have to decide whether to _risk_ the lives of others by taking someone to the hospital, or risk _his_ life and pray it'll be all right and not take him in to see professionals who might be able to save him. I don't know about you, but people don't depend on me in my normal life. I don't make life-or-death decisions every day, especially for other people. It's not… it's not my _job_. It's not my life. Whose life is that?" He pulled his hands down and looked at Ryo and there were tears in his eyes. "I mean _look_ at him… just look. Kuso, _look_ …"

After a bit of awkward silence, Seiji deactivated his armor and sat back in the driver's seat. As he snapped his seat belt on, he said, "Let's head back. We'll get him cleaned up and… and we'll… We'll go from there."

The others deactivated their armors and filed into their seats, remaining silent as Seiji started the engine and drove them away from the place.

Byakuen ran alongside the car as they drove. They had been silent in the car for a while when Shu asked, "Is now a bad time to bring up the fact that, well, while I was fighting, I heard this… this scream. And… and it didn't stop, and it… I knew it was Ryo? Did… did anyone else hear that?"

Shin looked ill and took to staring at Ryo's arm – the one he was gently holding to keep the unconscious senshi still. Touma pursed his lips and started looking up wound treatment on his phone. Seiji kept his eyes on the road. No one replied.


	5. Consequences

They arrived back at the safe house late at night. The storm had followed them and it was raining heavily. Shin and Shu carried Ryo inside while Touma went inside and found a dry-erase board and started sketching out a watch schedule. Seiji had followed and watched him for a moment, trying to find something to say, but the blue-haired senshi's silence was eerie, even to him. He finally shrugged and went to go take a shower.

Shu came down to eat something, followed shortly by Shin, who yawned and said, "Ryo's in his bed. He looked a lot better than before."

Touma looked at the brown-haired senshi, his expression tired. "Good. I set up a watch. Here, take a look. I need someone else's input. We can make something better when we're all more awake."

As Shin looked over it, Shu came over with a bag of chips, munching quietly as he looked over Shin's shoulder at the chart. "Looks fine to me," he commented between bites. "I can eat while I sit up, I guess. Where should I patrol?"

"How far can you sense things outside of this room?"

Shu raised an eyebrow at the odd remark, then closed his eyes, pausing in his eating to focus. "Mmm… Around by the lake. But I have to concentrate real hard."

"That's a good distance. I think for now you can stay inside. If it stops raining, try sitting out. Maybe circle the property. This will have to be a learning process for all of us."

Shin smiled. "And here I thought we were on Summer Break."

Touma smiled and looked at Shin, "Hey, can I talk to Shu for a second, Shin? Alone?"

"Ehh… sure." Shin glanced at Shu, who shrugged in response. Shin then walked up to his room.

Touma breathed in deeply and looked at Shu. "Shu, I—"

"If it's about making me take first watch, don't sweat about it. I'm not ready to go to bed yet, anyway."

"Oh. Well I just wanted you to know that not putting myself up first – which I _would_ do otherwise – isn't a sense of laziness or anything. I just… I don't trust myself right now."

Shu smiled. "Ah. That steam you let off earlier. You should be more like me – when I'm angry, I just let go! It's a nice stress reliever."

Touma didn't smile. "Our lives might be in danger right now, Shu. This isn't funny."

Shu's smile faded. "You always think I'm making a joke. I like to look on the bright side of things, is all. You're having a rough time – we all are – and I'm trying to make this easier for you. You don't have to apologize. Go to sleep. Get your head together so you can pull your side of Defend the House when your watch comes up, and I'll finish eating."

Touma's face warmed. _I didn't mean to insult him…_ "Shu, I—"

"You're running through your sleeping time, Touma. Just go to bed." He then turned and walked away, ending the conversation, and digging back into his chip bag for more food.

Touma watched him, open-mouthed for a while, before shaking his head and walking up to his room, his shoulders sagging as he went.

* * *

Recovery was slow. This battle had gone better for them than others, and even with the summoning of the Shiroi Kikotei, they were still well off in the energy and health department. But they were still tired and worn out. The watch didn't help, because now they were back on alert, like when they were fighting with Arago the first time. They slept, took their watches, exercised, watched television, ate, and in general tried to avoid talking about how they felt about the burden laid upon their shoulders.

Ryo's body healed slowly, but still far faster than normal. Touma checked him and took notes on his progress, not knowing what else to do, and with no ideas from the others.

When Ryo finally woke up, four days after the incident, he was very groggy. He blinked at the ceiling and felt _heavy_ , like he hadn't moved in a while. He turned his head and spotted Touma, who was sitting in a chair nearby, typing on his laptop.

"Touma?" he asked, quietly, looking curiously at the blue-haired senshi. "What're you doing here?" His voice was raw. _Why is my throat so dry? I—_

_Sarenbo looking down at him as he said, "This will be over quickly."_

_Shin glowing bright blue and staring at him in terror, the water churning around them as the Shiroi Kikotei activated._

_Fight!_

Touma jumped slightly when he heard his name and nearly knocked his laptop onto the floor. When he saw that Ryo had his eyes open, he smiled brightly, put his laptop down and walked over. "Ryo! You're awake!"

Ryo's throat constricted and he started to shake.

"Ryo? Are you hurting?"

"The battle… Where's… Saren… Saren…" He remembered trying to scream and pain, _pain_ …

"He's gone," Touma replied. _Gotta keep him talking. Keep him awake. The guy has to get moving. He has to eat._ "We beat him. _You_ beat him. You summoned the Shiroi Kikotei, and you got rid of him."

"I don't… what…" He tried to remember. _There was water and… and pain… But I didn't summon it. It reacted to…_

_Shin, glowing blue, a look of shock on his face._

_Fight!_

"I didn't summon… Didn't… It reacted to-to Shin."

"Come on, buddy," Touma said, patting him on the shoulder. He was trembling and he was far too pale. "Don't worry about it. Wanna eat something?"

"I guess I—" Feeling came back in a rush as his mind started waking up a bit more and realized that it was in an only recently healed, formerly heavily battered body.

_Pain._

_I'm gong to die. Not being able to scream, to move, to get away._

This new pain was like his body had gained extra weight and was being attacked all over by pins and needles. It hurt even to twitch.

Tears fell down Ryo's cheeks and he shut his eyes. "Please… please make it stop… I can't… I _can't…_ "

 _Dammit,_ Touma thought, watching nervously. _Is this what's going to happen? We all break down? We all fall apart?_ He reached out and clasped the other boy's left hand. "It's all right," he said. "It's all right." _Rule #1 for terror: be soothing. Be friendly. Or do exactly what I've needed someone to do for me and just be_ there _._

Ryo shut his eyes and made no other sounds beyond heavy breathing. He squeezed Touma's hand.

"It's all right. It's all right." Touma shut his eyes and bowed his head. "It's all right."

* * *

Shu walked in about two hours later with dinner for Touma, and paused with his surprise. Ryo was lying back, his head on the pillow again, and Touma's head rested on his left arm on the bed near Ryo's left arm. Touma's right hand rested beneath Ryo's left one.

 _Well… you don't see that every day._ "Uh… Touma?" Shu nudged the blue-haired senshi cautiously. "Buddy?"

Touma opened his eyes groggily and sat up. "Oh, Shu." He rubbed his eyes. "Hey." He carefully pulled his hand from under Ryo's.

"So…" Shu said, "What did I miss?" _Do I even want to know? I know we're all falling to pieces around here. Heck, I've been more emotional than usual lately with all this stuff going on. I guess I'm just a little better at hiding it than the others. Well... besides earlier.  
_

"He woke up," Touma replied. _Wish I could get control of myself. I'm all over the place._ "He was upset. I calmed him down."

"How?"

"Soothing tone. Little movement. Just being _present_ , even if you're not saying or doing anything to try and _fix_ something. Just having other people around can do wonders for people who are upset. Makes you feel like you're not alone." When Shu continued to stare, Touma added, "I've read a lot of psychology books."

"Oh." Shu looked back down at Ryo. "And the hand holding?"

Touma snorted. "What, you think I took advantage of him or something? Please. The guy barely even knew who I was. He needed help. I held his hand. Get over it."

Shu's cheeks reddened and he scratched his head to hide it. "Oh uh… yeah. Sorry. Got your dinner for you."

"Thanks."

"How's he doing, otherwise?"

"Well he woke up, which is a good sign. He also talked a little. Hopefully he'll wake up again soon and we can get him up and walking. His outer physical healing is almost done, as far as I can tell."

"What about scars?"

"Eh?"

"I know it sounds weird, but we're all stir-crazy around here, and when you're that bored you start thinking about weird things… Well, I've been in a fight or two myself before all of this started. I've got my own scars and such from past fights. And we've been in plenty of fights with the demons since this whole mess started. But after the thing with Ryo and Sarenbo, I… I looked a bit. At myself." He looked around nervously. _Forget it, I'm just as screwed up as the rest of em. It's not like anything is too weird for us anymore._ "And I saw that I don't have any new scars. Not a one. All the fighting I've done, I should. But I don't. The armor must have been working on me. So I guess… I guess Ryo won't have any, either, maybe."

"I didn't even…" _Just what are the limits here?_ Touma wondered. _What_ can't _these things do?_ _Well… other than maybe not kill us eventually._ He scratched his head and said, absently, "I suppose that makes sense. It's knitting together muscle and nerves that should just be gone. Scar tissue is probably nothing in comparison to that. But where is all this energy coming from…?"

"You don't know?"

Touma looked at Shu again. "Oh, sorry. Uhh… I have a couple ideas. One of them is that they're left over from Arago."

"Well we already knew that, didn't we?"

"Not here", Touma said, standing up with his tray and leading Shu out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "Ryo needs to sleep." They walked into the kitchen and Touma set his tray down, grabbed his phone, and started up a recording. "So I don't have to say this all again and in case something comes up," he said for Shu's confusion. "I'm just going to go simple here, as much as I can. A lot of the ideas are a bit… out there. So anyway… The simple answer is that Arago is a giant demonic spirit originally contained in a sort of solidified spiritual armor." _What am I even saying anymore..._ "When Kaos defeated him, the spirit fled, leaving the armor behind. But Arago _made_ that armor – possibly from his own spiritual form. Part of him was then left in it when Kaos separated it into the nine armors. Whatever spirit was left in them was in smaller remnants. When we finally received the armors, we were able to tap into that power to use in our attacks."

"But over time, like a draining cup, that power got used up. If it were limitless, we'd be able to overwhelm anything that came at us. But the armors kept working as our wills demanded. I think they started to rely on us and the environments we travel in for replenishment. We've seen that we're stronger in certain environments – Shin in water, Seiji in sunlight, Ryo in that volcano, and so on. We gain power there. When we're not in a place like that, the armors rely more on our own spiritual energy, and we act like batteries. That would explain why we're getting better at using them – it's like exercising our bodies, or our spiritual ones or willpower or whatever we're using as a bridge between ourselves and the armors. Like training your body for a track race at a high altitude."

"But then the armors were combined in Arago, and the Shiroi Kikotei only appeared after that. I have to wonder if we took some power back _from_ him to help form it, when we took back our own powers and ourselves from that… that void. Combine that power we took with our own, and maybe that's how you form the Shiroi Kikotei – more demonic energy into the mix that we're continuing to use on a frequent basis. I don't know. I don't think we could have done it on our own before we fought him."

"Okay…"

"Before, I assumed it was a one-way process – that we could just use it without any repercussions. I'm concerned… I'm concerned about all this healing stuff. I'm concerned about the abilities I'm getting. I can understand just using it to _use_ it. But the fact that we're changing… that we're getting these psychic senses and healing like crazy… The Demon Mashou were corrupted because they accepted the powers Arago gave them. They lived in the demon realm, spending all that time in that awful place, surrounded by whatever spiritual energies were there. What does exposure to demonic energy do? Does it turn you into something like the Demon Mashou? Does it kill you? What happens when we can support the armors under our own power? Will all that pressure kill us? Or will we be something else… Like the Demon Mashou? Something _other_?"

Shu swallowed nervously. "You mean we're really turning into… into _them?_ "

"No... We're… What I mean is that… Look at the Shiroi Kikotei. It's a powerful armor. More powerful than any of ours individually, maybe even more powerful than when we were simply working together without literally combining all of our energies. But every time we use it, we exhaust our energy resources, whatever those resources are – demonic energy, our own spiritual energy, the latent energy in the environment, whatever. Since we don't collapse every time we use our own armors, I get the sense that we're adjusted to them by now. That our spiritual muscles or whatever lets us survive using them, even at their maximum potential, are strong enough to withstand them. The reason we can't handle the Shiroi Kikotei may simply be that we were given something before we were strong enough to handle it, especially when we were still healing up from other things."

"Like moving up a level of weights before you're ready."

"Yes! Exactly!"

"And this is important because…?"

Touma just stared at him for a while, not knowing what to say.

"What? What did I say?"

"Shu… These abilities… they're not… they're not _normal_. Not _human_."

"Oh come on. So the armors absorb energy like uh… like plants. We can sense demons. Well if demons need energy to survive, and we're using their abilities, it would make sense to me that we have that ability – like a hunter looking for its prey. They aren't ours. They aren't… _would you just get to the damn point because if it's that we're turning into Demon Mashou I really want to know!_ " The last was said through clenched teeth.

"Shu, I don't know if we're like them. Maybe we're turning into what Kaos is. Maybe it's just some form of spiritual enlightenment. The armors have demonstrated that they're affecting us even when we're not wearing them – or at least when we can't see them. If Ryo didn't use that armor, he might be dead right now. But I don't even know if he can separate himself from it. I don't know if any of us can. For one thing, it might be a safety hazard, if demons can track us. For another… they almost feel like they're a part of us."

"But that's not important. Just speculation. What _is_ important is what happens when we _can_ handle the Shiroi Kikotei. What happens when we're that strong?"

"We don't collapse after battles, I guess," Shu replied, trying to remember where this conversation had started. _Reminder to self, don't ask Touma questions. Ever._

"No. I mean yes, but… What are we after that? Are we human? We have to be running out of that energy we stole from Arago. There was still some left when we were fighting, so we couldn't have taken it all. Or we'll run out of it someday. When our bodies start fully taking on the burden of fueling the armors, at least alongside whatever energy we can grab from around us – what happens? We're all acting weird in relation to our elements. Shin can sense where water is. He's stronger in it. He feels better in it. Seiji is stronger in sunlight. I keep sensing changes in wind pressure and I can sense storms long before they show up. I can feel the wind direction. I can move faster than normal, too, and see farther. Seiji and I were talking about normal life after this… after summer's over." He walked to the front door and opened it, looking outside. "How do you go back to a 'normal' life, when you're us? Do we assume that it's just the armors – that the abilities will go away once _they_ do, assuming we can even get rid of them at that point and _don't_ need to keep them as some sort of spiritual planetary guardians? Or what if they're permanent? What if they get worse somehow?"

Shu said nothing in response to that. He'd thought about going back home after this. Seeing his family and friends again. School. A job, someday. He was clinging desperately to the fact that Touma hadn't confirmed that they were like the Demon Mashou… yet. Everything else he could handle. So he could tell what type of _rocks_ were underneath his feet? He could sleep anywhere, even without a mattress. He felt comfortable outdoors. That wasn't so bad.

 _I don't glow or bleed 'evil' at people when I walk around, like the Demon Mashou. I don't see how blending back into normal life can be so hard._ He didn't want to think about the 'get worse' idea. He didn't know how his _own_ powers could get 'worse'. _But there's something else that's bothering me…_

"Touma," he moved forward to stand near the other senshi again. He could hear the birds and the bugs and the water and just _the world_ moving all around them. He looked outside himself. _Is this what they mean on TV when they say 'the weight of the world'?_ Looking at Touma now, that's what it looked like was weighing down on the blue-haired boy's shoulders, plus a side of 'why me?' Shu was feeling that, too.

"Touma," he repeated. The other senshi kept looking outside. "You say that we'll get stronger, like we have with our own armors. What if we don't? What if… what if this time, we can't? What if the Shiroi Kikotei is too much?"

"Given all the new abilities we've been getting," Touma said quietly, "and we haven't fully explored those yet, I don't think so. It's possible. We've survived everything so far, even summoning the armor multiple times."

"Touma, just humor me. What if?"

"…I guess we could die."

Shu turned away and walked back into the kitchen.

Touma sighed and closed the door. "Shu, I don't think it'll happen. I think we'll be fine." The other senshi didn't respond to this. He just set about scrounging for food.

Touma leaned back against a wall, looking at the ceiling. _I really was tired when I fell asleep. I'm still tired. We haven't gotten together and talked about this yet. I shouldn't be angry at Shu for this, but it's important! I can't just be the one they all dump the research on._

_But then… what else do I do with my spare time? Train? Think about this stuff? At least the research gives me time to avoid thinking about it too deeply. I just learn it and fit the pieces together, like a puzzle. Realize the implications later._

"How are the others?" He asked Shu, turned his gaze back to the other boy, who was currently starting to cook what looked like a big meal.

"Oh uh… Seiji's sleeping. Shin's on watch. He's sitting in the lake so that he can stretch out his senses better."

"All right. Thanks."

* * *

Ryo opened his eyes the next afternoon and turned his head to see Seiji sitting there next to him, reading a book. Ryo rasped out, "Seiji? Water please?"

The blonde senshi looked up in surprise, saw Ryo staring at him, stood up and walked over to the nightstand. Ryo moved his elbows back and tried and failed to push himself up. The pain was less than it had been, but his body was so weak that he was unable to do even that much. "I can't… my arms…"

 _His arm muscles… jeez, is he going to have to relearn how to walk, too?_ "It's okay. Let me help you." He put the cup down and grabbed Ryo's left shoulder to help pull the other boy up into a sitting position. He then puffed his pillow so that it would help keep him up. "It's a little awkward, but work with your back, not your arms." He picked up the cup again and helped Ryo drink it. Ryo tried to hold it, but it half-slipped through his fingers before Seiji caught it again and just held it.

When he was done, Seiji put the cup back.

"What's going on?" Ryo asked. "Why can't I use my arms?"

"Touma said your arm muscles are growing back. You won't have full use of your arms for a while, but with practice, you should get it back."

"My what? I'm… what?" He tried to move his arms again, and succeeded in lifting them up a couple inches off the blanket, but after holding them in the air for a while and slightly moving his fingers, he cringed and dropped them. "It hurts... Agh… what happened?"

"Do you remember the fight with Sarenbo?"

Ryo frowned and thought back. "I remember going to the pier to…" he flushed. "I'm sorry I shouldn't-I just-he threatened you guys. He said he'd kill you if I didn't follow him."

 _What is he…? Oh, he's remembering the start of it. Is he a complete idiot?_ "And you didn't think we could handle him?"

"I didn't know! You-you couldn't do it before! And you were tired and—augh!" He shut his eyes. He'd tried to move his legs. _Why does that hurt? Why does it—?_

"We were doing okay. More okay than you were. You thought you could take the guy on your own? Don't you remember what happened last time?" _I'm hitting a guy while he's down._ Real _down. That's low. But he shouldn't have been that stupid!_

"Of course I remember…" Ryo replied, tears coming out of his eyes. "Of course I remember. It hurts… Kuso, it hurts…"

"Lie still," Seiji said. "Don't try to move too much. Touma wants you to take a walk later."

"I thought I was supposed to stay still."

"To conserve your energy for when you don't. You need to get moving. You've been lying here for five days and you've got muscles regrowing. You need to start walking around before something worse happens and so your body doesn't heal wrong."

"You said that again. Why… how are my muscles 'regrowing'?"

"That's why I asked you about what happened earlier. In your fight with Sarenbo, Shin said that you got speared by some sort of acid attack. It was eating through your body. Touma thinks Sarenbo was trying to steal the armor, which meant getting rid of its current wearer. Thankfully, the Shiroi Kikotei dealt with him before that could happen."

"So it was acid…"

"Yeah. You looked really bad when we pulled you out of the water, but you started healing as we watched. We brought you back here. You barely even have bruises at this point."

Ryo looked down at his arm, which was mostly just peach skin with a bit of redness, like a fading burn wound. "But how…?"

"For the moment, just be satisfied with 'the armor did it'. Anything more is just too confusing. Touma's put some theories together and is trying to organize them so that they're easy to explain, but I think it's a lost cause. Anyway; the important thing right now is to get you up and healthy again, so we can be ready for the next fight."

Ryo tensed. "Did another demon show up?"

"No. We just need to be ready in case one does. Stay here for a second." He walked out and called for Touma, who trotted up the stairs and walked into the room.

"Ryo, you're awake again! How are you feeling?"

"Every part of me hurts and I can barely move."

Touma smiled sadly. "I thought as much. Well, we'll just have to get to work on that. Come on, let's see how far we can get you walking." Touma went forward and took Ryo's right shoulder, while Seiji took Ryo's left. "Can you move at all?" Touma asked. "Try getting yourself off the bed with your legs."

Ryo tried to move a leg over to the edge of the bed and cringed in pain. After a time, though, he pushed his left leg over to the edge and bent it over. He was already sweating. Then he dragged his other leg over and tried to slide to the edge. Touma and Seiji helped move him forward. He was in a sitting position on the bed's edge and sweating profusely, when Touma said, "All right. This is good. Now let's see if you can stand."

Ryo carefully set his feet on the ground, and then tried to place his weight there to push himself up. The result was intense pain that led to his falling forward and knocking the other two back. Byakuen stepped forward and mewled at Ryo, who didn't even have the strength to reach out and pet his friend. The other senshi had a good enough hold that he didn't fall entirely, but it was an awkward moment as they juggled and pulled him back onto the bed. Ryo was panting and there were more tears in his eyes from the pain. "You-you've gotta be kidding… I can't walk!" He shut his eyes. "I can't walk!"

"It's all right," Touma said, puffing a little. "Let's try that again. We'll just get you moving a little, to get you used to being up again. Baby steps. Come on, Seiji." He took Ryo's shoulder again, while Seiji took the other. They picked him up and off the bed, his toes dragging along the floor while he leaned into them. Or pretended to, anyway. Whenever he tried, his hands wouldn't grab properly. The other senshi had to hold him, or else he'd just slip down.

 _Damn, he's light_ , Seiji thought. _Guy needs to eat soon, or forget the demons; the wind'll knock him over, he's so light!_

Byakuen watched them as they moved around the room. At one point, Ryo tried to put his feet down to support himself, feeling awkward and embarrassed for depending on the others so much. That resulted in him knocking Touma over and falling to the ground, where he lay in a heap by the blue-haired senshi. Seiji knelt and helped pull him over.

"You okay, Ryo?"

Ryo's face was very red, but no more tears were on his face. _I want to walk. I can't_ not _walk anymore. I can't. I can't. I can't._ "I-I need to do this. I'll do this. Just help me up. I'll try again. I'm sorry for all the trouble."

He fell down twice more before Touma said it was enough. They were all tired, and Ryo was falling asleep when they helped him back to the bed.

"Woah, Ryo," Seiji said. "You need to stay awake and eat something. Watch him, Touma." He left the room and went downstairs to get some food. Touma checked Ryo's wounds.

"Doesn't look like anything's worse. How do you feel?"

"Still hurting everywhere," Ryo replied. "More so now, though."

"I'm sorry. I know this sounds kind of cold, but you'll just have to live with the pain for a while. You're healing at an accelerated rate. Maybe you'll recover at that rate, as well. The rest of us are doing rather well quite quickly after all that's happened. Your injuries were just more severe what we've gone through before."

"Seiji said that the armors were healing us."

"Yeah. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Tell me. Maybe it'll keep me awake."

* * *

Seiji returned with a bowl of hot soup, which he helped feed Ryo. Touma went to get his laptop to try and ease Ryo's discomfort by decreasing the number of people in the room. Ryo was already embarrassed by the fact that he couldn't walk on his own. He didn't need an audience to watch someone else feed him because he couldn't hold a spoon.

"So this is life now," Ryo said when the bowl was empty and Seiji had set it aside. "Try and get my legs back. Walk again. Move my arms a bit."

"This is life, _for now_ , Ryo. We'll get through it. Don't worry."

"An hour ago you were about to yell at me for being an idiot and running off to get myself killed when I should have used my common sense to stay."

"An hour ago you couldn't say a sentence that long," _Although you still sound really raspy._ "Are you feeling any better?"

"Throat's improving. Slowly." He coughed and continued, "I feel a little more awake after the soup."

"Awake enough to want me to yell at you?"

"Awake enough to know I deserve it. I knew it was stupid but I still went. I didn't know it well enough."

"You were trying to protect us. That's… touching. I'm glad you're so ready to fight for us. Any of us."

Ryo shut his eyes. "Please tell me what happened. I need to know. All of it. Was anyone hurt?"

"No. We're all just a little tired."

"Because why?"

Seiji told him about the fight, leaving out his promises about what he'd do to Ryo after it was over. He felt a bit embarrassed by his anger. _Adrenaline and a need to take out my anger at my own lapse in judgment. I should have been keeping better watch on you._

Ryo said nothing while he listened. Seiji paused when he thought the other senshi had gone to sleep, but Ryo said, "Don't stop. I'm still listening."

When Seiji was finished, they sat in silence for a while.

 _No one was hurt because of_ me _this_ _time_ , Ryo considered as he stared at the ceiling. _Well… badly. Seiji said that none of them are feeling pain anymore._

His stomach and throat were definitely feeling better. It felt less like his throat was made of sandpaper. His lips felt less dry.

"It's a little cold," Ryo said. "Would you raise the thermostat a little please?"

"Sure." Seiji stood and walked over to the thermostat and raised it by five degrees. Then he came back and sat down.

"Thanks." After that Ryo sat, waiting for the room to warm up. When it did so only marginally, he repeated his request.

"Uh, sure." Seiji raised it another five degrees. It was already rather uncomfortable. Today was a hot day, and the inside was supposed to be kept cool. He was glad that he was at least wearing a tank top. "You gonna go to sleep?"

"Yeah, soon as the temperature goes up. I'm freezing."

"Ryo, it's a sauna in here. Come on."

"Well, maybe it is to you, but I'm freezing!"

Seiji frowned. "I'll be right back." He walked away and called for Touma. The other senshi showed up and Seiji stopped him before he went in. "He keeps asking me to raise the temperature. On a day like _today_."

"Well… maybe he's just cold?"

"Have you felt the temperature in that room?"

A crash sounded behind Seiji. He turned and ran back inside, followed by Touma. They came to a halt when they saw Ryo leaning against the wall beneath the thermostat, panting. "Too… cold…"

Touma knelt and touched Ryoi's forehead to get his temperature. "Jeez, you're burning up."

"I don't care. It's too cold in here!"

"Ryo, it's boiling in here. We don't want to risk—"

The dark-haired senshi looked straight into Touma's eyes and grabbed feebly for his collar. "You listen to me! You haven't been inside a volcano, or even just inside the Shiroi Kikotei! This is like the arctic in comparison. I'm freezing out here, and I can't sleep because of that."

 _We're all acting weird in relation to our elements…_ Touma's words haunted him as he stared at the pale, slightly manic face before him. He shut his eyes briefly, then stood up and raised the temperature ten degrees.

"Did you raise it?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Touma and Seiji pulled Ryo back to the bed, and both of them were sweating profusely afterward, as a result of the work and the high temperature. When they both stood up, Ryo smiled at them. "Feels slightly livable now. Thanks." Then he shut his eyes and went to sleep.

Seiji pulled Touma away and whispered, "Well? What now?"

"I have no idea," Touma replied, looking at the thermostat as he wiped a hand over his soaking brow. "He's happy. I guess we leave him alone."

"He could die of heat stroke in here!"

"I doubt that," Touma replied. "Just like I doubt that it's possible to drown Shin, strangle me, blind you, or… well, I don't know with Shu, but I guess he'll be able to sleep anywhere he wants at this point, whether it's on spikes or moss."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ryo fell asleep in a _volcano_. The Shiroi Kikotei is also supposed to be a fire-based armor. It may be using all of our armors, but it's demonstrated a clear liking for Ryo's ability set. If the armors are… adjusting us or whatever so that we can use them better, or if we're just adjusting to use them, then he's probably becoming more adjusted to higher temperatures. It might be for the best. How was he after you gave him that soup?"

"Better, he said. I don't know that it means anything."

"He managed to drag himself to the thermostat. He couldn't even walk on his own before. Think of Shin when he was in the water. Let's go with the heat and see what happens."

"What if it does kill him, though?"

"Then we're exactly where we were before."


	6. Moving On

The thermostat was moved up another ten degrees before all was said and done. The next day, Ryo was able to walk mostly under his own power, with the help of another Yoroi Senshi holding his shoulder and Byakuen watching him the entire while. He ate two bowls of soup and listened to more of Touma's theories.

The third day he stood out in the yard and summoned his armor and swords to try swinging them around a bit. There was only one problem with that. When they appeared, the swords were cracked all the way through. Touma, who was observing nearby, came forward to look them over.

"They were fine the last time I fought," Ryo said. His voice had lost its raspiness and he was more awake than he'd been in weeks. "Now I'm afraid they'll shatter if I hit something with them."

"The last attack you used was on Sarenbo, right?" Touma asked. "The 'Rage of Inferno'?"

"Yes."

"… I wonder." He moved back to his laptop and sorted through his files. "Your armor changes when you wear the Shiroi Kikotei. Do you use different swords when you fight in the Shiroi Kikotei?"

"I… No. No I don't." _Why did I never notice that? How odd._

"That's… interesting."

"Why would it do that? The rest of the armor is different. Why would _that_ stay the same?"

"Maybe it's because _you're_ the wearer? Despite it using all of our powers to form, it chose the Rekka ability set to emulate."

"Touma, before you start… how many of these theories do you have?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you keep coming up with new ones…"

"Most of which are not confirmed. We're doing matter-energy conversion every time we…" Touma stared in shock at the other senshi.

Ryo waited, and waited, and then asked, "Every time we…?"

"Oh. I just… well, that's pretty amazing that we're doing something like that. Every time we summon our armors. We turn them into solid shapes. Throwing out a lot of theories about how it works is going to happen. I could probably spend the rest of my life trying to figure it out, spiritual understanding or not."

"All right, all right. Just go back to what you were saying before. It's emulating my armor?"

"Ah. Right. It's emulating _your_ powers, specifically. As far as we're aware, you can't use any of our powers, or some form of ours, although I guess we could always try that…"

"Touma. Focus. Swords."

"Right. Sorry. There's a couple reasons. I still like the theory that it picked you as wearer because you were the last captured during our fight with Arago and had the best chance at escape. It's too coincidental that the Rekka armor bearer just _happened_ to be the one the armor goes to. Either way, it could be that the Shiroi Kikotei is adjusting to the Rekka armor. That it's interlacing itself with parts of it. I have to wonder if the swords not changing is a sign of the armor clinging to the Rekka armor buried beneath. Kind of like a child is a mix of attributes from their parents. Since the Rekka armor is the one nearest its creation, it clings most to that one. Which is why, even though you have our powers, you don't have weapons like the ones any of us use. You just use your own swords."

"…Okay. And this matters because…?"

" _Or_ it could be your spiritual input is more involved in the armor's creation than we thought. We have to summon our regular armors. While the Shiroi Kikotei seems to respond to danger rather than us summoning it, maybe this is a sign that _you_ can actually summon it on your own. Or at least it's not fully in control. Your swords are asserting themselves as part of the armor as a sign that the Shiroi Kikotei isn't allowed to fully take over."

"Touma. Swords. Almost broken."

"The point is that whatever is happening, I think the Shiroi Kikotei is a sort of imprint on the design of the Rekka armor, and I don't think the Rekka armor is designed for the output of the Shiroi Kikotei. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't need the Shiroi Kikotei to beat the creatures we've fought. So your swords, trying to channel that power, turn into this. It's like driving a car with the break on. Sure, the car can take it, but the tires will eventually wear away and the rubber will burn behind you. It just wasn't meant to take that load."

"So what, they just break and that's it?"

"What's curious to me," Touma said, seeming to ignore the question, "Is that our armors have mended themselves after battles. Why aren't your swords doing the same?"

"They had an off day? A _lot_ of off days?"

Touma rolled his eyes. "I think there was something else involved. Maybe the armor has been exerting so much energy into healing _you_ that it hasn't been working so hard on itself."

"So we should just give it time to heal?"

"That might be one solution."

"An armor that 'heals' itself is just…"

"Weird? Well, that seems to be our lot in life." Touma eyed the blades. "If it were a normal set of armor, I'd just get replacements, because this could happen again. We need something that can handle the Shiroi Kikotei."

"How would you go about replacing bits of this kind of armor?"

"I'm just throwing out ideas, Ryo. I have no idea if they'll work, so I'm trying solutions that pop into my mind. I need to do more research…"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's fine. This is important. The Shiroi Kikotei is our big weapon. We need it in working order. Every voice on the matter helps."

"I think we should make replacing the swords a priority." Seiji stepped forward from the house door holding a glass of lemonade. He had heard the commotion and had been listening in. "If the swords wear out every time Ryo uses them, that's a problem. He basically can't be injured, because if he is and has to use the Shiroi Kikotei, the armor won't be able to repair the swords, and they'll just break, and we'll be out a weapon."

"If he fought at his full strength—" Touma started.

"Which is _never_ supposed to be a guarantee," Seiji interrupted. "And which should never be relied on. Yes, so the armor might have more energy to draw on if he fought while at full strength. So what? We could get attacked later today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. Or we could recover fully and get thrown right back into this same situation and still get attacked by demons. We need to be ready for that. We need swords that _won't break_."

"Then you better start working with something that isn't solid," Touma replied, coolly. "Because most anything solid that I know of _can_ break. If there's some sort of demon-steel or whatever that can't, I have no idea what it is, and I have no idea where to start looking for it. Unless you have any ideas?"

Seiji glared back and replied, "You know I don't."

Ryo watched them briefly, and then looked back down at the cracked weapons in his hands. He could feel the fire in them. The desire to burn. To blaze.

_Fight!_

Ryo shut his eyes and crushed the thought as hard as he could. _Shut up shut up shut up shut up!_

_Fight!_

_I'm safe here. No one is attacking. I'm fine. Nothing is wrong._

He repeated those thoughts until the anger finally faded. He breathed deeply and opened his eyes. Touma and Seiji were looking at him with concern. They were both several steps closer.

"You okay, Ryo?" Seiji asked. _The guy's still too twitchy. Forget the swords, I'm still concerned about how he'll react in a fight. He hasn't been showing very good behavior lately outside of one._

"Yes," Ryo replied. "I was just thinking." He hefted the Rekka sword and dropped it to the ground. It landed in the grass, and after a moment, dissolved into red light and faded from sight, along with his armor, leaving his sub-yoroi behind. "That was a good idea. A sword that isn't solid. You said that our armors are made of energy, right, Touma?"

The blue-haired senshi frowned. "Well, yes, but I—"

"Well then it makes sense that our weapons are made out of energy too. How does _energy_ break?"

Seiji frowned. "The same way our armors can break, I guess. They have a set shape that's solid. Mess with the design, and it will break."

"But why?"

The other two stared at him, confused. "Why what?"

"Touma, your arrows turn into energy when you fire them. Water…sort of… comes out of Shin's yari. Shu's sansetsukon can cause earthquakes from long distances. I'm guessing by throwing out some sort of energy… Seiji's sword throws lightning. My swords throw fire. All of these are energy-based attacks. What's the point of them coming out of a solid object? That doesn't make any sense."

"…You're right," Touma said.

"Right about what?" Seiji asked, exasperated. " _That's_ the stuff that doesn't make sense in all this?"

"He's right because it doesn't make any sense. Where's the energy come from? The last time I checked, energy doesn't just _pop_ out of solid matter. It's generated." Touma scratched his chin. "The armors are made out of energy, as are the weapons. Their form is solid when we summon it, but _not_ when we _don't_. So why does it become solid? Because we _need_ it to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seiji asked.

"You know the saying, 'The sky is the limit'?"

"Yeah."

"Well, people… we limit ourselves. It's more complicated than this, but there are things our brains simply can't comprehend, like space. We can't picture something that's infinite. We picture finiteness, even though we know that's not how it is. It doesn't mean we're stupid, but that this information simply doesn't fit with our understanding of how things work. So we ignore it, and go on as if it doesn't exist, or we make up something that allows us to comprehend it without drastically shifting our worldview. There's also the concept that our beliefs can change the way we act. For instance, the placebo effect – patients who _believe_ that they're getting better, or who _believe_ that they've taken a drug that will help them, even when they haven't, have gotten better in some way."

"And this long train of thought relates back to us…?" Seiji asked.

"I'm getting to it. The five of us have been given great powers with these armors. Armors no other humans have been granted in hundreds of years. None of us really knew what we were getting into when we got into this. We thought we were saving the world, yeah. But we didn't know a thing about demons or the demon realm or Arago. But what did we know? That we were each receiving a family heirloom: a suit of armor to help us fight to save the world. So what did we get? A suit of armor and weapons to help us save the world."

"Yes," Seiji continued sarcastically, "And then we came to Tokyo, gathered together, got knocked around by Arago, beat him up, and then came here, where we got beat up some more. I know this part of the story, Touma."

"But do you know the part where the armors only appear as they do because we will it? That our weapons are not as strictly decided as we might think?"

"…No they don't. I mean… They don't. Do they?"

"Ryo's point is that our armors and weapons are already at least physically part energy. Why not be fullway? It doesn't make sense for them to be half and half. But if Kaos can take an armor like Arago's apart and turn it into some other shape, why can't we do the same? Especially when he's not around to direct them and they've been under our control and we kind of melded with them inside of Arago and, well… the fact that _Ryo's armor_ has as much effect on the Shiroi Kikotei as it does. And we _are_ in charge of the armors, to an extent. We direct their powers and we summon them into and out of shape. A case could be made that we're making the weapons physical because we need them to be. Because we're all used to handling solid weapons that you can see and touch and that look like fancy versions of weapons we've used in the past, modeled off the originals we might have seen in texts and we just expect them to do really flashy magical things. But what if we could throw that façade away? What if we could just have them as they are: energy weapons, plain and simple. That's all they've been all along. We just couldn't see it. Arago demonstrated that he can switch between energy and a solid form at will. Why can't we?"

"Okay," Seiji began. "Ignoring the fact that we're talking about Arago, a _demon,_ and not ourselves and we're all living in a fantasyland because we're so bored and tired and just stressed out by everything, sure, I kind of maybe get what you're saying here. But how does _any_ of this help with Ryo's sword problem?"

"They're weapons made of energy, Seiji," Touma said. "You don't need to repair energy. You just need to recharge it when you're running out. If Ryo can wield a weapon that's made purely from energy, he won't need a sword replacement, because there won't be a sword that's too weak for the Shiroi Kikotei to break. His swords would just adjust. In that scenario, if the swords lose their use, it would be because he's out of energy, and then he's dead anyway." He ducked his head. "I know that sounds bad, but it's true. For all of us. Without that power, we're just people. We can dodge, run away… but that's it."

"All right" Seiji replied. "And how do you expect to _do_ this, anyhow?"

Touma laughed, "Ha, that's a nice question. I haven't the faintest idea." He looked down at the spot where Ryo's sword had vanished. "But I guess it's just trial and error then. Ryo, try summoning the sword back. But this time, think of when it dissolved. Imagine that you have a sword made out of fire, just sitting in your hand."

"I… what? That's crazy."

"It was _your_ idea, Ryo."

"Yeah, it was my idea on how to deal with it. I didn't want to hold any flaming sticks!"

"It shouldn't hurt you. You're a fire-element user. You literally sit in a burning hunk of metal all the time and you're fine. You fell asleep _in a volcano_ and you're fine. Just deal with it for a little while."

"I'm more likely to blow myself up than actually accomplish anything right now."

"Well, it's what you _do_ already. Just don't picture it as… solid."

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Picture it as a solid, but not solid? Oh, that makes _perfect_ sense."

 _He's sarcastic,_ Touma thought. _And it's not bitter. Maybe we brought him back._ He merely smiled and watched.

Ryo focused for a bit, trying to imagine his weapon, rather than his armor, in his mind and calling it out. It was like trying to call his armor and not call it at the same time. The effort made him dizzy. He wobbled and sat down in the grass. "Ugh." Byakuen walked over to him and touched his shoulder. He shut his eyes and put his hands to his head.

"You all right, Ryo?" Seiji asked.

"I'm okay. Just tired." _Wish I could stand up for more than five minutes._

Seiji frowned. "Maybe one of _us_ should try it first. Ryo, you still need to finish healing. And the rest of us are getting restless anyway."

 _I need to be ready, though._ Ryo opened his eyes and looked up. _I can barely fight anymore._ "But the Shiroi Kikotei—"

"If it doesn't work," Touma interrupted, "Then there's no sense in you wasting your energy on it when you need everything you can get for healing. Seiji, can you go into town to pick up a wooden practice sword for him, so he can practice?"

Seiji looked sidelong at Touma. _And what, leave him another window to break out?_ "If you can spare me. I'll be back in a bit." He looked at Ryo and said, "Stay here."

Touma cringed.

Seiji turned and went to the car. After a few minutes, they heard the engine start and fade into the distance as the blonde senshi drove off.

Ryo was looking at the ground again. _Seiji doesn't trust me. I suppose_ I _wouldn't, if I were in his shoes. But what does he expect me to do? Limp away?_ He snorted. _Oh right, I've already done that, twice. No wonder he's annoyed._

"Wanna take a break?" Touma asked, moving forward to set a hand on Ryo's shoulder. _You need to stop looking so gloomy. Seiji's mood is catching. We're falling apart as it is. We need to get things together._

Ryo shrugged his hand off and replied, "Just a moment. I'll walk for a bit when I get back up." Byakuen sat. Ryo leaned back on the cat, scratching white and black fur.

Touma crossed his arms. "So, between Shu, Shin, and I, who would be best for this?"

"Why do you want my input?"

"Why wouldn't I? It was your idea and I think I've had my fair share of ideas for the day." He smiled, but when Ryo continued to frown at the ground, his own smile faded. "What is it?"

"I've left twice now, when I shouldn't have. I've pulled you all into danger. I do nothing for anyone – I can't take watches, cook, clean, get groceries… I can barely move around without assistance. Why… why do any of you even still bother with me? Why do you think I can be trusted when I basically said that I couldn't trust you to defend yourselves?"

Wind ruffled Touma's hair, and he let it move through his fingers with a comforting, cooling touch. "Ryo, you're our friend. We've fought together. You're also smart, and despite some suicidal death wishes every now and then, you're a good person, and we all know that. I'd be stupid not to trust your opinion. If you're upset about Seiji…"

"He has a right to be angry at me. I would, too, if I was in his shoes."

Touma let the silence grow for a bit, before continuing, "He cares, too, you know. It's not just anger. It's not… _fun_ watching a friend get hurt, especially when you feel like you have to monitor them to stop that from happening, or when you feel like you can never protect them enough, and to know that you weren't able to protect them. He's worried. We all are. But we're in this together, and we'll only get through it together."

Ryo bowed his head more. "Thanks," he replied, quietly.

Touma smiled. "So, who do you think for the test?"

"…Probably not Shu," Ryo replied, his voice a little shaky. "Somehow I think that asking someone whose element is 'stone' to picture his weapon as anything other than 'solid' is asking a bit much."

Touma smiled. "Yeah. He's sleeping anyway. I'm open to trying it, but I wonder if we should just grab Shin first. We have a lake here. He'll have the most power behind him if he attempts it."

"Sounds good to me."

Touma turned to the house and called up to the second floor, "Shin!"

* * *

"I don't know about this, Touma," Shin said as he stood waist deep in the lake. He had his hands raised and clasped as if he was holding his yari, although there was nothing there. His eyes were shut and his brow was creased in concentration.

"It should be simple," Touma replied, standing on the lakeshore with his arms crossed. "Just… picture your weapon without your armor."

"But my weapon comes _with_ my armor," Shin replied. "Why don't I just—?"

"If you summon your armor, then your weapon will already be there like normal. I don't want you to turn your weapon _into_ water once you have it. I just want you to try forming its shape yourself. Arago can do it. We should be able to."

"You think we're on par with Arago?" Shin asked, opening his eyes and turning to look at Touma in confusion.

Ryo walked in slow circles, humming to himself to try and ignore the other two, even as he kept watch on Shin out of the corner of his eye.

"Well… I don't expect any of us to level a city or call forth an army of demons. But energy manipulation, at least on a basic level, is something we've all demonstrated a capability for. Every time we use our attacks, we do that. This is just an advanced form of it."

Shin sighed and turned back to the water. "Should I try, I don't know, forming it out of the lake water? I saw that on a TV show once."

"No. Our armors absorb energy from the environment that we can later use in other efforts. We don't _actively_ take from the environment. So don't try it now. It's a good thought for the future, though."

"Great. More experiments." Shin closed his eyes again.

Ryo stopped walking and sat down, watching silently.

Blue light started to shine, and Touma bit his lip. "Come on, come on…"

And then Shin was knocked back onto land, and the blue glow faded. He was wearing his sub-yoroi, and his hands were empty. He coughed and pushed himself up.

"You okay?" Touma asked, running forward to check on him.

Shin turned to smile at him. "I felt something in my hands, and it didn't feel like metal. It was just… just water. Or something. And I was holding it! If only for a moment. Then it blew up on me."

Touma grinned. "So it's possible! Yes!"

"Should I try again?"

"If you feel up to it," Touma replied. "I suppose that I might try as well."

"Why are people blowing themselves up while I'm trying to sleep?" Shu leaned out of the balcony to yell, his face contorted in anger.

"We're just trying an experiment!" Touma called back. "Go back to sleep!"

Shu snorted. "Then experiment more quietly!" He turned and walked back into the house.

Shin smiled and turned back to the water.

Ryo sighed and shut his eyes. The Shiroi Kikotei did its usual round of pushing for aggression and battle, but his tired state let him brush past it a little more easily than usual, and he quickly fell asleep.

He dreamed for the first time in a long time.

_It was the scene of their final battle with Arago. The air of the demon realm stank. The sky was its familiar murky reddish black. Arago's tall body loomed above his castle. Ryo saw the demon lord's hand change from pure spirit to solid as it devoured Shutendoji. Ryo looked into the demon's face, angry again at the loss of the former Mashou. Shutendoji was a good person. He had embraced his humanity. And Arago had just killed him like it was nothing._

_But it was not Arago's face that Ryo was looking at. It was his own._

Ryo opened his eyes, breathing rapidly. Byakuen bumped his arm in concern, and the senshi turned and buried his head in his old friend's fur. _What happened to normal dreams? The ones where you talk to vegetables and idols and sit on the moon feeding pigeons? Why can't these nightmares just leave me alone?_

"Well that wind arrow fired well," Touma said, attracting Ryo's attention. Ryo looked up and saw Touma aiming his bow at the remains of a tree that looked like it had exploded. "Wish my bow would stop forming, though."

 _So they got it to work… or Touma did, anyway. But honestly…_ "You know," Ryo said, "destroying the environment here might not be the best idea. It just seems a little… overmuch."

Touma looked over at him. "Oh, you're awake. Well, I did think about aiming at the sky, but if any demons are watching, I'd kind of be broadcasting our position."

"So… you're okay destroying the woods?"

"No! I mean..." Touma flushed, ashamed.

"Just be careful, okay? Trees aren't toys you can just knock over and then pick up again and… animals live there. They keep our planet clean. They keep this place looking nice. They're one of the things Arago would probably get rid of if he were given free reign, and your destroying them reminds me of the actions of the Demon Mashou."

"Sorry, Ryo. I guess I just got carried away. I'll be careful when I practice."

Ryo caught sight of Shin, who had turned to look. Embarrassed, Ryo stood up, still wobbling. "Just… just never mind. I think I'm just tired. I'll go in and lie down or something. It's nice to see that you're making progress."

Touma and Shin watched him walk away.

"Touma, should we be looking for more outside help for this?" Shin quietly asked.

"Well, if you think I haven't been trying—"

"I meant psychologically."

Touma turned to look at him. "What?"

"I mean what we're all thinking. I'm thinking of five teenagers stuck in a ridiculous situation they weren't prepared for with the only living person who helped us being dead, and all of us falling apart because of it. Ryo couldn't walk or move for a time. Yeah, he had a nice, fast recovery but… well, how do you come out of that? How do you confront what we have here, with the armors and the fight and everything? We weren't ignoring you when… when you got upset after the battle with Sarenbo, Touma. We listened. None of us are talking about it. We're just recovering. And that doesn't fix everything. We just have to keep running into it until we finally fix it or it screws us over permanently."

"Well unless you're hiding a therapist somewhere," Touma replied, icily, "I don't think we really have the time to go out and find one. Or the right to risk the life of someone coming out here to talk to us while we've all got targets painted on our heads by a realm full of demons." He deactivated his armor and stretched. When he was done, he looked away, "And that… that was a bad moment. I just… I lost my cool."

"Well I'm glad you did," Shin said, deactivating his armor as well. "Something had to happen. You started it. Now, well… at least we're reaching out. Sure, maybe we're all focusing in on Ryo like he's a sick puppy or something, which makes me feel really bad for the guy, since he obviously doesn't like it and I can completely understand that because it's all just… screwed up… But at least we're trying. Or something."

"Well… next time I start to break down, I'll remember that I have your support. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Wanna get something to eat? I'm hungry."

"Sure."

* * *

Ryo lay on his bed with his eyes closed. The fingers on his left hand picked at the fur on Byakuen's neck as the tiger rested his head on the bed and purred.

"I'd be amazed that you weren't bothered by the heat in here," the senshi said, "If I didn't know you as well as I did."

Byakuen grumbled and continued purring.

Ryo was still curious about that aspect of things. He was not bothered at all by the abnormal heat in the room. It was actually more comfortable than the outside, which was a good ten degrees cooler. He wasn't sweating. He even had most of his body under the blankets, where it was even warmer. It was very relaxing.

"I wonder what a desert would feel like…"

He opened his eyes. "I don't want to sleep, Byakuen. If I sleep, I dream. But I have to sleep so I can recharge and be able to actually walk for more than five minutes and I am really, really tired of whining… Now I'm whining about whining. Ugggggh…"

He leaned his head again Byakuen's muzzle. "You wouldn't know any way for me to not dream, would you? That was nice when I wasn't. I really don't want to dream again, because I only ever have nightmares. Because why should I ever _dream_? May I never have a moment of _peace_." He raised his head and looked down at Byakuen. "Wish I could run with you, buddy. I really…" As he looked into the tiger's eyes, there was a slight flash of red light and his head dropped, his eyes shut, and he was asleep. Byakuen watched him for several moments, nudged his head over to the pillow, and then set his own head back down on the side of the bed and watched the senshi sleep.

Ryo did not dream.


	7. Kenbukyou Appears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic uses the Japanese names, not the English dub names, so here's a guide for new names used in this chapter.
> 
> Lord Saberstrike = Kenbukyou (his attack's name is from the sub)  
> Black Blaze = Byakueno

"They don't look very intimidating," Kenbukyou said, scratching Byakueno's furry head as they watched the Yoroi Senshi fighting through the demon realm. The scenes were playing on the surface of a lake, while the pair stood on the bank. Trees surrounded the area, but allowed in a little moonlight to shine on the lake.

Kenbukyou was covered entirely in green and yellow armor with two red pinpricks of light that marked his eyes shining out of a shadow-filled helmet. A large ugly cut ran diagonally upward on his armor from his left breast to his upper right shoulder. Byakueno was a large black tiger wearing protective white, black and red armor and carrying two swords on either side of his body.

"It seems to me that Arago was defeated more by luck and his own stupidity than anything else," the demon continued. "He always was far too arrogant." He looked down at Byakueno. "I think we'll just cut him down a peg more by taking that Shiroi Kikotei he covets so. What do you think?"

Byakueno growled.

"Go find the tiger," Kenbukyou said as he stepped back and banished the water mirror. "I'll find us a good field of battle."

Byakueno ran off. Kenbukyou looked up at the sky and said, "Your time will come, Arago. And this time, it will be at my hands!"

* * *

"Shu, you sure you don't want to be a chef someday?" Shin asked as he watched Shu putting together yet more food for a midnight snack. Shin was on watch again and Shu had promised him a part of the 'meal'.

 _It smells really good, too_ , Shin thought. He glanced at the remains of Shu's late dinner. _Does he ever stop eating?_

"I thought about it," Shu replied, "and my uncle offered to help get me a job after I finish with school, so I can experiment and see what it is I want to cook." He sighed. "But I don't know. I like food. I just don't know how I would feel just making it all day for other people."

"I'm guessing your uncle runs a restaurant?"

"Yeah, in New York. He's a really good chef and his business is doing really well. It's a very popular restaurant."

"Well, is he happy doing what he does?"

"Oh yeah. He loves it."

"Does he like food as much as you do?"

"Oh, probably more so. It's his life, after all, and I'm just a student!"

"Well then. I don't see any problems with you taking after him some day. Obviously you can still love food and still do that job well."

"Hmm… You're right." Shu laughed. "But I mean, c'mon. That's so far away…"

"Well, we're in high school now… college is next. And you need to have a job in mind." Shin's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't happen to be one of those rich kids who just goes to college for fun or something, right?"

"What?"

"I bet your parents have a nice, cushy management position for you in some big company somewhere!"

"Shin," Shu looked his friend, trying not to burst out laughing, "Have you slept at all? Because you sound like a crazy person."

"Ha!" Shin shook his head. "I'm just crazy like everyone is." He eyed Shin as the purple-haired senshi finished cooking and placed food on plates. "You know, Shu, you're probably the calmest of all of us."

"Shin, I know I'm really awesome in battles—"

 _He says with a grin…_ Shin did _not_ snort.

"—But you know I'm always the first to _not_ know what's going on, and to ask what's going on. I'm always complaining."

"Yeah, but you haven't thrown a tantrum or burst into tears or, well… You've kept your cool, at least in that area. Yeah, you might struggle to know what's going on at times—"

 _He says without any hesitation_ , Shu thought as he glared at his snack.

"But you've always been that way. You're not cracking at the seams." Shin smiled at him. "I really respect that."

Shu smiled wryly at his friend, then looked down at the floor. "That's nice of you, Shin, but… I think you've misplaced your respect."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I know it's stupid. It's bad that I… I mean, I learned how to fight before I came here, like everyone. When you're fighting, you should be calm and focused. But everything that's going on… Let's just say that I'm starting to get _glad_ when enemies show up for me to hit. As long as I can direct everything I'm feeling at them… I'm fine. I can stay somewhat calm. For a while."

He looked back at the other senshi. "But it can't last. I can't just keep working out my anger through fights. That's a bad path to take. So, yeah, I might not be 'breaking down' and screaming at the sky and crying my eyes out or whatever… but just because you can't see it or didn't notice it, doesn't mean it's not happening. Because it is. I'm just as affected as all of you are. Maybe I'm just better at hiding it."

Shin was silent as he took all that in, and took his time before he replied, "I'm sorry, Shu. I didn't know. I should have, but I didn't."

"It's all right, Shin."

* * *

Upstairs, Byakuen opened his eyes, saw that Ryo was still sleeping, and then sat up, looking around. He got up and moved to the screen door, which opened for him. He stepped out into the night.

Ryo stirred and opened his eyes. "Byakuen?" He turned to where the cat had been resting, and saw only empty floor. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Byakuen? Where are you?" He shivered and pulled the blanket up to his neck. "Jeez, did someone turn down the thermostat?" He felt the wind and turned to see that the screen door was open. "What? Is someone in here?" He shivered again. "Jeez, can't they at least close the door after themselves if they're gonna keep barging in without asking…" He stood up and dropped the blanket, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth and moved towards the screen door. "Hey!" he called out. "Would you finish up out there already—?"

A jarring crash made him pause. _What the—? Wait, I can feel the other four. They're all in the house… Shin and Shu are in the kitchen, and Touma and Seiji are in their rooms… So who's…?_

He had only that moment to think before a large black tiger wearing shining white armor jumped through the door, straight at him.

"What the—?" He stumbled back, bumping into the wall behind him and summoning the Rekka armor at the last second.

Before the creature could hit him, Byakuen ran in behind it and knocked it aside. It crashed onto the bed and stood up, facing Byakuen. Snarls and the thick sound of heavy flesh hitting heavy flesh filled the air as the two began to fight.

"Byakuen!" Ryo drew his swords, ready to fight.

And then promptly stumbled backward into a wall with his fatigue. _Ahh! I can't even attack like this!_ The cracked metal was painful to look at, but he kept them out. He hoped he could at least get one attack off. Maybe two. _I wonder if I could try that trick Touma and Shin got to work. But I wouldn't be able to do it in a hurry. I couldn't even do it while I was concentrating and not under stress… Byakuen, what's going on?_

The two tigers carried their fight out of the room and back onto the roof, shattering glass and wood in their wake. Ryo ran after them.

"What the hell is going on?" Touma asked as he ran into the room. He saw Ryo in his armor and stared, wide-eyed. "What—?" But the red senshi was out the door before he could answer. "Kuso! Wish someone would take a moment to tell me what was going on!" He summoned his armor and ran after Ryo. He felt Seiji run up behind him.

"Hey, what's all the—?"

"I don't know! Just get your armor on!"

Green light filled the room and Seiji followed him out onto the balcony.

Ryo had followed the two tigers onto the roof, and then onto the ground when they jumped down. His worry for the tiger was outweighing his weariness, and the armor seemed to be happy that a fight was taking place nearby. He found the strength to keep a decent pace with them. "Byakuen! Be careful! Um… move, maybe so I can hit it too?" But the tigers both ignored him. They ran off into the woods, and Ryo chased after them, the other senshi close on his heels.

"Damn idiot!" Seiji said as he and Touma ran after the trio. "This is the same as last time!"

"He's got a nose for trouble!" Touma called.

"What's going on?" Shin asked, running behind them, Shu groggily in tow. "We heard the commotion and I saw you all were running away."

* * *

"It's only been a couple days since he's been awake," Shin said, hopping over roots and running over grass. "What's he planning to do if this is another trap?"

"The same thing he did last time, no doubt," Seiji replied. "Ride by the seat of his pants." There was no more talking as they followed Ryo through the woods. Seiji was primarily following his sense of Ryo's presence up ahead rather than solely searching through the dark with his eyes, although he could also see the best of them all. It took a few tumbles from his comrades behind for him to create a light for the others to follow more easily.

 _Jeez,_ Seiji thought, focused on the crashing ahead, _Just what are they fighting over? I don't like this at all. And… why is he faster than I am?_

They were now on the road and heading towards a valley. They had all reviewed maps of the area, to get a better handle of what they had at their disposal, places to avoid, emergency hideouts and good places to train. Touma had even visited the upcoming valley as a training site earlier in the day.

They spotted Ryo standing a short distance ahead, glowing red in the moonlight and watching the two battling tigers in the distance. They ran up to him. Seiji dimmed his light. They stood on the edge of a large open valley. The far wall of the valley led upward to a road.

"Ryo," Touma said as he put a hand on the senshi's shoulder, trying to not think too hard about the distance they just ran at what speed and how he did _not_ feel winded at all. "Are you all right?"

Ryo looked back at them. His face was a little pale, but he looked fine otherwise. "I'm okay. Just trying to help Byakuen." He looked back at the tigers. "Byakuen started fighting while I was sleeping." He looked back at the other Yoroi Senshi. "I'm sorry I ran off. I would have slowed down for you, but I can't sense either of the tigers, so I didn't want to lose sight of them."

Seiji opened his mouth to reply, but Shin interrupted with, "As long as you're careful for next time. You could still use some recovery time, Ryo, and we're all worried about you."

"I'm sorry." _Beat me up later._ He looked back at the tigers. "I wish I knew where that black tiger came from."

Seiji turned his attention to the fight. "I can't sense anything from them, either. Do you feel anything, Shin?"

Shin frowned, was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Nothing."

"Then I guess it's not a demon," Touma said. "We'd feel it if it was."

"Well, what do we do?" Shu asked. "Attack?"

"No," Ryo replied. "We'd hit Byakuen."

"Then… get him to back off?" Shu asked. "Doesn't he like… listen to you when you give him commands, like a dog?"

"Not all the time," Ryo replied, choosing to ignore the 'like a dog' comment for the moment. "Plus, he's fighting. He's distracted. He might not hear me. He didn't listen to me earlier."

The black tiger jumped back from the fight, and Byakuen leapt back as well, still watching the other tiger. Ryo ran forward to stand beside Byakuen, prepared to help fight should the black tiger start the attack up again. "You okay, buddy?" Ryo glanced at the tiger, but saw no wounds - only dirt and ruffled fur. Byakuen stayed focused ahead. "Don't worry," Ryo said. "I can't do much, but you aren't alone." The other senshi moved up to stand behind them, wary.

"So is it just me," Shin asked, "Or is it a good idea to start running away now?"

Seiji looked up and drew his sword. "Demon approaching."

The others prepared their weapons as Kenbukyou materialized from the darkness. "Good evening," he said. "My name is Kenbukyou. I have come to fight you for the Shiroi Kikotei."

"You've got to be kidding…" Touma muttered.

Seiji glared and called out, "Why don't you just go back to the demon realm! You've existed for this long without the damn thing. Why are you people so obsessed with it now?"

"Well, we didn't know it existed before," the demon replied. "Arago now desires it."

"Arago's… still alive?" Shin asked.

"Sadly." The demon noticed the way the Yoroi Senshi tensed from that statement. "You thought a single blow could kill him? He is tougher than that. That's how he managed to take control of the demon realm." He looked at them curiously. "Which one of you bears the armor? I wish to fight that one." The black tiger stepped forward, and Kenbukyou dropped to the ground and drew the swords on the beast's back.

"Do you honestly think we'd fight another of you guys one-on-one?" Seiji called. "Just leave, and we won't kill you like we have your predecessors." He stepped in front of Ryo, surprising the red senshi.

"Seiji…?"

"Stay back," Seiji replied quietly, keeping his focus forward. "You can't fight like that. You don't have a weapon to use."

Ryo looked down at his damaged swords. They were a last resort. That was all. He breathed out heavily and sheathed them. _Once more, I get protected by others. I get protected by my friends and they put themselves in harm's way on my behalf._ He glared at Kenbukyou. The reason his friends were in danger. He hated the demons. Hated all the terrible things they'd thrown into his life.

_Fight!_

His heart was racing and he had to take a step back and clench his hands into fists.

_Fight!_

_No!_ He shut his eyes. _No, I won't! I won't summon you again. Stop it!_

_Fight!_

_Leave me alone! Just go away!_

The voice faded, and he was able to breathe easier. When he opened his eyes, Shu lay on the ground, having been knocked flat by Kenbukyou.

"You'll pay for that!" Shin said as he aimed at the demon, and then fired off a torrent of water in his direction. Kenbukyou dodged and ran forward to slash down at the senshi. Touma fired his Shin Ku Ha at the demon, forcing Kenbukyou to jump back to avoid the golden ray. It crashed into the rock behind him, breaking rock and filling the area with dust.

Ryo ran to Shu, who sat up slowly and grumbled, "Damn helmets. Ringing in my ears."

"You all right, otherwise?" Ryo asked, looking the senshi over for wounds and finding none.

"Yeah," Shu replied, his voice heavy with anger as he stared at the battle, "I can still kill the guy."

Ryo flinched. _He sounds so angry… like the armor…_

_Fight!_

Shu's armor began to glow orange.

"No!" Ryo cried. "Stop it!"

Shu's armor ceased to glow and he looked at Ryo in surprise. "What the hell? Ryo, what's wrong?"

Ryo didn't reply for a bit as he waited to be sure that the voice wasn't coming back. Then he replied, "The Shiroi Kikotei. It reacts to anger. Battle lust. Those emotions act like a summons and it just lashes out and I can barely keep it back when that happens…"

"You mean I almost…?"

"I think we both almost did. But I can hold it back for now. For a while, anyway." His face was paler and he started humming to keep his mind focused and drown out the voice, should it return.

Shu touched his left arm. _Jeez, no wonder he seems to be going crazy faster than all of us._ "Ryo…"

They heard a clang and a cry, and turned to see Seiji fly through the air and crash into the dirt a short distance away, throwing up more dust in his wake. The demon stepped forward, brandishing his swords. Another burst of water crashed into the demon, smashing him into the cliff face behind him. Touma sent another Shin Ku Ha at him, making more of the cliff crumble down around the demon. Seiji pushed himself back up and fired off a Rai Ko Zan at the spot where the demon lay. Touma kept his bow aimed and Shin and Seiji stood ready to attack again. Shu pushed himself up and got into his own fighting stance. Byakuen growled and moved forward to stand beside Ryo.

The black tiger moved up to the pile of rubble and sniffed it. Laughter filled the air.

"Damn," Shin said. "What's it take to kill these things?"

"You definitely only have a piece of Arago's power," Kenbukyou said, standing up as the dust cleared without any obvious damage, outside the dust and dirt now covering his armor and cloak. "Your attacks are nothing in comparison to his."

"You've fought Arago?" Touma asked, his curiosity winning out over his focus.

"Touma…" Seiji warned.

The blue senshi ignored him and continued, "What happened? I thought all of you were Arago's minions."

"I am the strongest swordsman in the demon realm. I ruled my territory with strength and fear at my back and no one dared to face me, until the day an upcoming, arrogant demon with a growing reputation decided to try me, to boost his own reputation. I made the mistake of fighting with honor and believing that he stood by any rules. I struck him down and demanded that he yield and swear fealty. He swore to do so, and then took advantage of my pause to strike me and toss me down, calling me an old fool. My wound from that battle allowed him to take over my territory and I became his servant." He reached to the scarred armor over his shoulder. "But that was long ago. I am here for the Shiroi Kikotei. Though I have no interest in seeing that insulting creature restored to his old power, it is his wish."

"Can't you refuse to fight for him?" Touma asked. "You're a samurai…" _Of sorts,_ he didn't add aloud. "Doesn't working for someone like Arago go against your code of honor?" _In whatever demented form demons have…_

"You know little of the demon realm and demons, human," Kenbukyou replied. "Arago only _gained_ power after our battle. Even now, with what little power he stole back after he restored his armor and then lost much of it once more, he is too powerful for me. It would be suicide for me to fight him now. And what for? My land is but one part of his territory now. My people only lived in fear of me and I only ruled them because it was convenient and an easy way to find new foes to battle. And I have the chance of finding a worthy opponent for the first time in a long time." He rolled his shoulders. "Although, from our current battle, that doesn't seem very apparent. None of you feel worth my time. To think that one of you pathetic weaklings possesses the Shiroi Kikotei… It boggles the mind."

 _He's fighting us when we're weak,_ Shin thought, watching the demon. _None of us is really at full strength. We haven't demonstrated the power of the Shiroi Kikotei in this fight yet. These guys keep pounding us into the dirt and wonder_ why _we never seem strong?_

"But it matters not. I shall have the Shiroi Kikotei for Arago… or simply take it for myself to kill him with it. Humans could never use it properly. But I could."

"So come and try and get it," Seiji said, stepping forward.

Kenbukyou snorted. "More of the same? How futile." He eyed them all, and his gaze settled on Ryo. _Why does_ that _one not fight? Byakueno said that the white tiger protected him. To have the tiger would mean that he has some great power, yet he keeps to the back of the group and does not take part. He does not draw his weapons. He does not offer strategy. What is his purpose?_ He glanced at the others, and a spark of suspicion filled him. _They protect him, all of them. They move to keep him in the back. Run at me at once to keep my notice from him. None of these four have the power of the Shiroi Kikotei. Perhaps_ he _does…_

Rather than attacking on his own, he raised his swords and cried out, "Winged Angel of Doom!" The wind picked up, grabbing up dirt and rock from the ground and moving faster and faster until a tornado filled with sharp pieces of rock was formed. The wind dragged and caught at the Yoroi Senshi as they tried to get back, pelting them with sharp bits of rock as they were dragged into the cyclone. They were swung around in circles as they cried out and struggled to free themselves. None of them were able to focus enough to attack Kenbukyou, assuming they could even target him from the way they were being tossed around.

In a final burst of wind, the cyclone broke and the Yoroi Senshi were thrown in different directions. Byakuen, Seiji and Shin crashed into different spots of the cliff face. Shu and Touma were thrown a ways off into the dirt. Ryo was thrown to the tree line. He crashed into a tall tree and fell to the ground, dazed. As he tried to get up, groggy from it all, Kenbukyou hit him in the head with the hilt of one of his swords, knocking the senshi out. The demon then picked him up and tossed him onto Byakueno's back. They raced away from the scene.


	8. New Swords

_How many years has it been?_ Kenbukyou thought as he looked down at the red senshi sleeping on the dirt nearby. They were in a small clearing some distance from the valley they had fought in. Trees surrounded them. Moonlight shone done on the area.

Byakueno growled and stepped closer to the demon. Kenbukyou patted him on the head. "Yes. A long time. It will be pleasant to fight someone strong again. The others were something of an amusement, but maybe if I can draw this 'Shiroi Kikotei' out, there'll be a real challenge to be had." He touched the old scar on his shoulder. The constant reminder of his shame…

"No matter what happens here, Byakueno, whether I win or fail, Arago will no longer be a problem to us. I may take this new armor and use it against him, or, in defeating it, I'll prove that I can defeat Arago. Certainly with the power output these senshi have exhibited, that shouldn't be too difficult. Or… I'll no longer be around to challenge him. Whatever the case, I am done standing in fear of him."

There was a roar and Byakuen burst out of the trees and moved to stand protectively over Ryo. He snarled at Kenbukyou and Byakueno.

The black tiger started to move forward, but Kenbukyou stopped him with a hand gesture. "No offense, old friend, but I have no interest in fighting the boy's _pet._ " He looked over the white tiger curiously. _"_ So this is your friend… It's like an odd, unarmored, moonlit mirror. You'll have to tell me sometime where you tigers come from." Ryo's right arm twitched and Kenbukyou turned to look at the senshi. "Ah, the boy wakes…"

When Ryo woke up, he found himself lying facedown in the dirt. He sat up and winced as a painful ringing filled his head. After several moments of hoping it would go away, he also realized that the sky was growing lighter. _How long was I unconscious?_

"Awake at last, Yoroi Senshi?"

Ryo turned to see Kenbukyou standing a short distance away and patting the black tiger's head. "It's been long enough."

Byakuen stood between them and Ryo stood up and drew close to him, touching his fur, unsure of the situation. "Byakuen…? Where are the others?"

"Byakuen?" Kenbukyou said, "Interesting. That was the name of the beast that fought beside the warrior that vanquished Arago. You are blessed, boy."

Ryo looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The company of a tiger like that is a great honor to only the strongest of warriors. Byakueno has been with me for many centuries. A gift after I defeated many warriors in single combat." He patted the black tiger's head. "How did you get yours?"

"…He's just been around me for a long time. Did you drag me here to talk about tigers or to fight?"

"I was only curious, boy. I have not fought a human opponent in some time, and now, at long last, he happens to be a warrior with the same weapon type as I," he put his hand on the sheathed hilt of one of the swords on Byakueno's side. "And he has a tiger as a companion. And he bears the Shiroi Kikotei. A truly astonishing culmination of fortunes. I wonder if it is a sign."

"A sign of what?" _Jeez, demons are talkative… Maybe he'll just go on and I can get out of here…_ Ryo looked around to get a better bearing on where he was. He still felt a little wobbly from earlier, and he could feel a bruise on his head. Plus, the armor was weighing down on him.

"I have no idea. When you are as old as I am, maybe you'll know the answer. In your next life, at least." He unsheathed his swords and said, "Are you ready to fight now, Yoroi Senshi?"

Ryo reached for his own swords, but hesitated. _I can't fight him. They're last resorts. Judging from how he handled the others, he'll shatter them in a single blow and then I'll have nothing to fight with. Even if the Shiroi Kikotei gets summoned, what will it fight with? Will it just fix them? I'm still healing… what will the priority be? Kill me so it gets its 'fight' urge off?_

Watching Touma and Shin experiment with pure energy weapons came to mind. _But I still can't try to accomplish that here! I don't have enough time. And if I knock myself out, he might just do what Sarenbo did. And I might not be so lucky this time, especially when I don't know what condition the others are in._ He felt them, dimly, some distance away. Not close enough to do much of value in the near future.

 _I should run._ It hurt to consider. He didn't think himself a coward. After everything that happened, it hurt even more to think of that. It brought back the memories of his battle with Arago. Had nothing changed since then? Was he even worse than he'd been? _The others would want me to run. I can't fight. We all know that. And keeping the Shiroi Kikotei out of the enemy's hands is better than keeping my pride intact._

_But he's a demon! If I turn tail now, he could strike me from behind! Even if he was being honest about that story, I have no idea what a demon considers 'honorable'. If he kills me here… I could stall a bit, maybe, until the others find me. They aren't dead and they're definitely on their way._

_So, saved again. Waiting for them to rescue me. Hiding behind others for protection. I'm so pathetic._

"I won't fight an unarmed opponent, boy," Kenbukyou said. "Draw your blade!"

Ryo glared and put his hands on his sword hilts. Then he staggered as an image flashed through his head, this time not of his own thoughts.

_Arago's ghostly hand grabbed up Shutendoji, devoured the Mashou, and then fully materialized._

_Arago, absorbing the energy of the Tokyo residents._

_Touma looking at him and saying, "We're stronger in environments relating to our elements. Like we're taking some latent energy in the air or something."_

_"It's too cold in here!"_

_"It's just energy manipulation. Demons are pure energy. We've had experiences dealing with this all along. We just need to experiment with it."_

_Where did that come from?_ He wondered. But still, Ryo eyed Kenbukyou's swords. _Do I… could I even… Is it that simple?_ Then he blanched. _I'd be just like Arago. The Shiroi Kikotei absorbs energy from the other armors – from my friends – to form itself. But this time I'd be absorbing energy from another_ demon _… I'd be grabbing up demonic energy like food. What if I become more like Arago? What if I can't stop after that much?_

… _But what choice do I have?_

"Still waiting, boy. I have no desire to fight dishonorably, but even I have a limited patience."

Ryo glanced at Byakuen. _Wish you could hear my thoughts, buddy. I could use your help here. Although I guess the less chance_ you _have to get hurt, the better._ He drew his swords.

Kenbukyou laughed and said, "At last…" But then he got a better look at Ryo's blades in the growing sunlight. "What is this foolishness? _Those_ are your weapons?"

Ryo glared. "I can still fight. But if _you_ don't want to…"

"I am not so cowardly as to fight an opponent with no weapon!" Kenbukyou turned aside.

"So you're running away?" _Please just go. I really don't want to do this…_

The demon stopped walking and turned back. "Never. I shall have the Shiroi Kikotei. I will simply hit each one of you until I discover which of you has it. I thought it was you, until I saw those… pitiful excuses for weapons."

"I won't let you hurt my friends," Ryo replied, getting into a fighting stance. "And I _will_ fight."

Kenbukyou snorted. "You are a fool. A dead fool. Very well." The demon stood ready, and then ran forward. Ryo aimed, cried "Sou en Zan!" and threw a barrage of fire at the demon.

"What was that?" Shu spat out, searching for the demon as he sat up from where he'd been lying, face-down in the dirt. "Where are you? Come out here so I can kill you!"

"Chill, Shu," Shin said, standing up with a wince. He looked around. "Anyone see Ryo?"

Seiji looked around and then turned and started running. "This way. Come on!"

Ryo felt the swords shatter and stumbled forward halfway through the attack, coughing in pain.

"Was that all?" Kenbukyou landed on the ground – he'd simply jumped into the air to dodge the attack, and was entirely unharmed.

Then Byakuen jumped him, snatching the sword in his left hand from him before he could fully comprehend what was happening. Byakueno leapt for the white tiger, but Byakuen was already away. The white tiger dropped the sword at Ryo's feet and turned to fight once more with the Byakueno. Ryo dropped the broken remains of his weapons and snatched up the sword.

 _If I knew you were telepathic, Byakuen…_ The senshi turned back to Kenbukyou, holding the weapon. "Now we're even," He said. _Although I don't know how well the attack will work with just one sword, especially one that isn't mine._

"A cowardly move. Stealing my own weapon for yourself."

Ryo tested the new sword as Kenbukyou eyed him. The hilt was ornate but worn with use. It had a good weight to it, and there was clear strength in it. "You attacked us in our home, at night, dragged us out to the middle of nowhere, knocked me unconscious, kidnapped me _and_ you're threatening all of us with pain and death. Also, you're a demon. I don't think you can make any claims about cowardice at the moment."

Kenbukyou laughed. "Quite. Although…" He eyed Ryo thoughtfully. "I have to wonder how well you will fight with only one sword…"

"Probably as well as you," Ryo replied. "Your attack earlier used two blades. How well will it do with just one?"

"Two is good, but I can still fight with just this one as a focus. Can _you_ handle a demon's blade?"

"I handle my armor just fine, and it was Arago's once, and you said he was stronger than you."

"I said he beat me with a cheat. But it also looks to me like you certainly handled your swords… well." He looked pointedly at the shattered remnants on the ground.

Ryo flushed and held the sword in his hand a bit tighter. Then a smile came over his face. "Then if you value this," he waved the weapon, "You'd best take it from me, fast. The Shiroi Kikotei doesn't treat its toys very well. Like my _swords_."

"Aah… so you _do_ have the Shiroi Kikotei! Well then, that makes things simple." Kenbukyou readied himself. "All I need to do is kill you, and you've made that even easier for me."

"Did you already forget that we both only have one sword now?" Ryo tried to keep his nerves out of his voice.

_Fight!_

_Not now!_

"No, boy. We are both swordsmen. But I am a demon. You are simply human. You've handled what fraction of Arago's power you have, but I am older than even he, and I wonder if you can handle such a sword as mine."

Ryo frowned and looked down at the weapon. He could feel the odd energy in it. It had a murky feeling to it, but when he touched the blade with his other hand, the murkiness began to fade. It even began to feel warm. He started to feel more awake and his pain and weariness faded just a bit. He stood straighter.

"What? How dare you!" Kenbukyou cried as he raised his sword and cast his attack once more. Ryo jumped on Byakuen and they managed to flee this time, as the attack took longer to form.

 _Maybe it's because he only has one sword to work with…_ Ryo wondered, listening for the sounds of the demon's attack to follow them as they darted through the trees.

"I'll kill you, senshi!" There was pure bloodlust in his voice now.

_Fight!_

"Shut up!" Ryo hissed.

Byakuen ignored him and took them through the woods and away.

After the voice faded, Ryo was able to "see" the others before they appeared. It was another small clearing among the trees, although there was a lot of tree cover, which blocked most of the moonlight.

"Ryo!" Seiji called, running forward with a smile on his face, "You're all right!" They were all covered in dirt and other detritus, but they looked fine, physically, and were all bright-eyed as they looked at him.

Byakuen came to a stop and Ryo dismounted.

"He's right behind us," Ryo said, moving the sword aside.

Touma stared at the weapon and Ryo continued, "We stole it from him. It's a long story."

"Come back you coward!" Kenbukyou called. "Our fight is not done!"

"Can you fight with that?" Seiji asked, looking at the blade dubiously.

"I think so," Ryo replied. "Somehow it feels just like one of mine."

"Well we can try and overwhelm him again," Touma replied, aiming for where Kenbukyou's voice emanated. "There's five of us now, and he's missing a sword, unless he can just make another."

"I don't think so," Ryo replied. "Or it could just take more time than he's had. But I can tell that he's weaker without it. I think it's just like our weapons – a part of his power. He attacks slower."

"Let's hope he's weaker elsewhere, too," Seiji said.

"Since Ryo has a weapon now," Shin said quietly, "should we consider summoning the Shiroi Kikotei?"

"What?" Shu laughed. "Shin, are you nuts? Why would we—!"

"Because maybe it's our only option," Shin replied. "We're not hurting him. Speed wasn't our problem last time. Our attacks just weren't _hurting_ him."

Touma looked at Ryo, who was studiously not looking at the others, and studying the sword instead. "Ryo…?"

_Fight!_

The red senshi tightened his grip on the sword hilt. "If I have to, I will." He looked up at them all, his gaze hard. "But you need to get away if I do. I don't know what one sword will do to the attack."

The others looked at him in concern and prepared themselves for a fight.

Byakueno and Kenbukyou came rushing forward out of the darkness and stopped to face them all. "Well, awake at last? Fine. I'll just take you all out at once." He started to cast his attack, but Touma fired another Shin Ku Ha at him, dodging aside as Shu cast his own attack at the demon. Kenbukyou dodged Touma's arrow, but fell to the ground from the earthquakes generated by Shu's attack. Seiji leapt in and struck down at the demon with his Rai Ko Zan, but Kenbukyou got up and leapt aside before he could be struck, only to be hit squarely by Shin's Cho Ryu Ha, which knocked the demon backwards. As he tried to get up, Ryo threw out a Sou En Zan, knocking him back down.

 _That felt kind of weird,_ Ryo thought as he watched Kenbukyou. _But it worked, anyway._

Byakueno lunged at Touma, who was standing a ways off and aiming at the demon once more. Byakuen leapt at the black tiger, knocking him aside. Touma fired more arrows at Kenbukyou and Shu attacked with another Gan Tessai. Kenbukyou leapt into the sky, crashing through the tree cover, raised his sword and managed to start his attack before the senshi could stop him once more.

"Scatter!" Touma yelled as the winds began to pull together. Everyone followed suit. Unfortunately, Kenbukyou had been targeting Ryo, and the senshi was just barely caught, picked up, and tossed into the air. He shut his eyes against the wind, dirt, and grass and pulled his limbs inward to ward off some of the tree branches that got ripped off in the gale.

_Fight!_

_I might die… I don't want to die… But the others fought for me. They deserve the same from me._

_Fight!_

He focused. He didn't want to _give in_ to the Shiroi Kikotei. But he did want to summon it. And if he _didn't_ , Kenbukyou would probably kill them all anyway. _Come out, Shiroi Kikotei. Let's finish this._ He felt the warmth of the armor blanket him and leapt out of the tornado with the onrush of power.

Kenbukyou dropped to the ground beneath him. "At last," he murmured.

Touma retreated into the trees nearby and met up with the others. Shu was limping and being supported by Shin. Seiji sat by a tree and kept watch on the fight, even though he was sweating heavily. Touma looked them all over. They still had their full armor on. "I wonder if that's why we're weak. We have to keep our armors up without that extra power being used by the Shiroi Kikotei." He looked back up at the sky. "Ryo…"

 _That's weird_ , Ryo thought as he easily dodged a second attack from Kenbukyou. _The armor hasn't taken over. I guess I should just go for it._ He raised the single sword awkwardly above his head in preparation for the attack. He felt heat coating the blade from the armor, but the blade showed no wear as of yet. _It lasted through the Sou en Zan. Let's hope it lasts through this._

He waited until Kenbukyou was starting another attack and so could not move out of the way, before he cried, "Rage… of… Inferno!"

The two attacks struck at each other with a great smash, their users standing by, waiting for the outcome, focusing on channeling as much power as they could. Ryo frowned at the soft, cool breeze on his face.

Kenbukyou, on the other hand, felt as if he'd leapt inside a furnace.

 _So this is the end after all…_ He reached for Byakueno. _Goodbye, old friend… Go with the senshi if you can, and see Arago dead for me…_

The other yoroi senshi turned away in the resulting flash of light and the flying debris from the destruction wreaked by the two attacks hitting each other. After the light faded, they looked out from their bedraggled cover.

Ryo stood alone in the moonlight, still wearing the Shiroi Kikotei. Byakueno stood beside the fallen body of Kenbukyou a short distance away from him. The demon was covered in burns and soon faded from sight. The black tiger roared at the sky, and Ryo watched him, waiting. Byakuen approached from behind Ryo and came to stand by the senshi.

The four senshi stepped out and walked up to them. "So," Shu asked, "Do we kill the tiger, too?"

"Wait," Shin said. Byakueno put his head down and approached Ryo. Byakuen growled a warning, but did not choose to attack. The black tiger stopped before its white counterpart and bowed his head.

 _It's like he wants… But shouldn't he want to avenge his master?_ Ryo stepped forward and put his hand hesitantly on the cat's back. Then Byakueno's body shimmered and faded away. The shimmer floated to Byakuen and coated the tiger in light.

"What the—?" Seiji said.

 _It's a gift_ , Ryo knew, watching Byakuen as the tiger simply stood there, relaxed, covered in the shimmer. A part of him was still terrified for Byakuen, but another part simply knew that this was a gift, with no harm intended. The two tigers were connected somehow, and probably more connected to the spirit side of things than any of the Yoroi Senshi could imagine.

Byakuen put up his head and roared and the shimmer faded. Ryo took a step back in surprise when he saw not Byakuen, but Byakueno standing before him – black fur, armor, and the single sword Kenbukyou had remaining, back in its sheath. The tiger roared again, and Ryo stepped forward, replacing his stolen sword in the empty sheath. Byakueno looked at him and Ryo saw the golden eyes. _Oh Byakuen…_

He staggered, then and he wondered, as blackness threatened to overcome him, _I've never deactivated this on my own… Maybe it's like the regular armor?_ He closed his eyes and tried to deactivate the armor normally. It was like stepping out of a warm jacket. He stood once more in his sub-yoroi and felt a chill in the night air. He opened his eyes and looked down at Byakuen, who was back to normal as well. Ryo smiled, knelt down and hugged the tiger. "Glad you're back, buddy." The tiger seemed otherwise unchanged and didn't seem to mind when Ryo sagged forward on him feeling very, very tired.

The others deactivated their armor, breathing a sigh of relief that they were all okay.

Seiji watched Ryo and thought, _He's not unconscious. He wore the Shiroi Kikotei and he's fine… As far as I can see, anyway. And… is that Byakuen?_ He could feel an odd _new_ presence where Byakuen stood. It was small, but it was definitely separate from Ryo's.

"We're going to have to talk about this," Seiji said to Touma, quietly.

The blue-haired senshi looked at him. "I don't even really know where to start." He looked back at Ryo and raised his voice, "Ryo?" The red senshi looked up. "Let's head back to the house. We're in the open here, and with our luck, another demon will show up and attack us."

Ryo stood, staggered a bit and was caught by Byakuen, who moved forward so that he fell onto the tiger's back. Ryo looked down at him, grateful, and rearranged himself so that he was seated on the tiger's back. Byakuen carried him back as they walked to the house with the others walking around them.

"Are you feeling okay?" Touma asked, looking at Ryo.

"A little tired, but otherwise fine."

"Interesting…"

"I think I got some of Kenbukyou's power from those swords. Either he made them or he had them so long that they had part of his spiritual power."

"Wait," Shu said, "You _stole power_ from a demon?"

"Our armors are demonic in origin, Shu," Seiji replied. "Every time we use them to fight, every time we use our power to create the Shiroi Kikotei, we're doing that."

"But we didn't steal energy from the Demon Mashou," Shu said, "Or Sarenbo."

"We stole some from Arago in the final battle… Or the last battle we had with him, anyway," Touma replied. "Plus, Ryo couldn't fight with his swords. He didn't have a choice. We have to keep the armors out of the hands of the demon realm."

"You steal weapons from your opponents in desperate times?" Shin asked.

"If I ran out of arrows," Touma replied, "I would look for those of my enemies, and those I shot into my enemies. If I needed protection, I would find a shield to use, wherever I could. Being creative and surviving are not dishonorable because you didn't condemn yourself to death by not trying to improve yourself and your situation."

"History is full of people stealing from others for various reasons," Seiji continued. "Resources, land, people. People who want to take the upper hand over their fellows. People who do it because it's necessary to live. We do it, it's happened. Get over it."

"I just…" Shu started.

"You just what?" Seiji demanded.

Shu stopped walking, so the others had to pause to look back at him. "I keep thinking about Arago. How he absorbed all of us, to power up. It's bad enough that the Shiroi Kikotei seems to do that on a small scale, but we work with what we're given. Plus, we get our power back afterwards, while with Arago, we would have stayed wherever we were, or faded away. But we've never really done anything like… purposefully steal from another person, demon or not, for power. It's too much like what Arago was doing. If we…"

"If we can do that," Ryo interrupted, "What else can we do that he did? How else are we similar to him? And what does that make us? The Demon Mashou were humans that Arago recruited because they shared his values. Will we be like them? Like the Demon Mashou? Like demons? And since I… since I started it… What does that say about me?"

Silence reigned after he finished.

"Ryo…" Shin quietly began.

Ryo was staring at the ground as he refused to look at the other senshi. "I think… I think I'm gonna sleep. It's been a weird day and I woke up earlier than I should have because of all this. And my tiger's been possessed or mutated or something and I think he should probably sleep, too. We'll meet you back at the house." _Run, Byakuen._ The tiger growled and took off, leaving the other senshi in the dust.

Seiji punched Shu's shoulder, making the other senshi stumble.

"Hey!" Shu cried, rubbing the bruised spot. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot. You upset him."

"By doing what?"

"You called him a demon," Touma replied, quietly.

"What? No I—"

"Yes, _we_ did," Shin interrupted. "We really did."

"Oh come on! He could have—I mean… I didn't mean it that way!"

"Well, he took it that way," Seiji said. "It was obvious from the way he was acting."

"How the heck should I know that?" Shu asked. "He sleeps like, all the time, and now he reacts like this, I mean… what?"

Shin was looking at him sadly. "Shu… what do you know about Ryo?"

"Um… what are you—I don't… he's just a guy."

"Good, you've identified his gender," Touma said. "That's a start."

"Oh come on!" Shu cried. "What do you want me to say?" He scratched his head. "He's… I guess he's quiet. When we first met. He never talks much. He… he keeps to himself. Heck, you'd think he and Byakuen talk to each other with the way they react to each other. Which is weird, because tigers don't talk…"

"He _is_ quiet," Seiji said. "A better description might be 'self-contained'. It's a ninja trait. They're quiet. Stealthy. You don't really notice they're around that way. People who do that, especially warriors, tend to be less open to sharing their problems. We watched the guy regain the use of his legs and arms. That's… traumatic. And it's embarrassing for anyone to be unable to take care of themselves. All of this, on top of the fact that he's different from all of us. He has the Shiroi Kikotei. None of us have something like that. For once, we aren't a group. We don't fully share that burden. He's different, he's in pain, he's desperate not to fail and put the rest of us in danger and on top of that, you just called him a monster."

"But I—!"

"You didn't come up with the idea of taking the sword from Kenbukyou. None of us did. Ryo did. He may be an idiot at times, but he's got a brain and he can think, and he can figure lots of stuff out. Did you ever think that _maybe_ he considered what doing what he did would mean? Did you ever think that maybe that scares him just as much as it scares us?"

"Scares...?"

"I think it would scare any sane person. It's certainly scaring me. And it's obvious that it's scaring you. He just _ran_. The guy who tried to fight a known powerful enemy on his own, twice, just _ran_ from friends. From people who have had his back in fights. What does that tell you?"

Shu opened his mouth to reply, but stopped and turned his head away.

"Our communication skills are awful," Touma said. "Small children could do better. We should have another meeting after Ryo gets up and just… talk. No drama. No fighting. Just talk."

They continued walking to the house in silence.


	9. Kokuyoen Attacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic uses the Japanese names, not the English dub names, so here's a guide for new names used in this chapter.
> 
> Sun Devil = Kokuyoen

Deep in the forest of Aso Kuju National Park, the ground began to rumble, causing the wildlife to scatter in alarm. A large, flaming meteor lit up the night sky as it descended from the clouds and crashed into the trees. Fire splattered the vicinity of a crater the size of a small house. Shrouded by the dust and smoke, a dark figure crouched at its center, untouched by the flames and otherwise uninjured. He moved slowly and eventually reached out his arms to stretch. Chill, powerful winds gathered and struck out at the flames, dashing them out as the temperature dropped exponentially and the ground, starting from the figure's feet, froze in a widening circle. By the time the figure stood up, the remaining trees were trapped in ice, and it only continued to spread, growing thicker.

The smoke faded away and unnatural wind blew through the long red strands hanging off the figure's helmet.

He looked up at the sky to see the moon shining down on him. It illuminated a squished light gray mask and a thin black armored body, lightly covered in dust that quickly blew away. He held a tall pike in one hand and a whip in the other. The mask had an oddly cut smile of sorts in it and only slits for seeing, through which shone gleaming red eyes.

He hissed and said, "The human world once more. Disgusting." He looked down to survey the area. "Badamon's predictions must have been off. I cannot feel any demonic presence nearby. Certainly not those Yoroi Senshi. So should I wait…?" He looked back up at the sky again and his eyes briefly glowed brighter. "I'll wait. If they appear with the sun, I'll kill them. If not… I'll go out looking for them. And maybe have some fun, too."

* * *

_Above was sky. Below was roiling magma and flame. Boiling gas and the scent of sulfur. Ryo put his hand into the magma. His fingers sank a little, but he was unharmed. It felt like thick glue - squishy, but warm like the space before a fire. He pulled his hand up slightly, and the magma around his fingers hardened briefly into rock, then slowly melted back into magma, sliding off his hand to drop with large plunks back into the pool. He looked back up at the sky. Smoke hid much of it and the bright red and yellow glow of the volcano covered much of the rest, but he could still see a few clouds and a hint of blue._

_It's high. It's high, the sky. But I don't care, because it's warm here. It's warm right here._

_I don't care._

Ryo opened his eyes slowly and stared at the ceiling for a while before sitting up. For once, he actually felt a twinge of regret at waking up from the dream. It had been comforting inside the volcano. Peaceful.

 _It wasn't a nightmare, so I guess I should be happy, but it was still weird. I haven't thought much about that volcano since Arago knocked me into it. I wonder why I was thinking about it_ now _. Or dreaming about it anyway._  He stretched and dressed. Byakuen was lying on the floor nearby, still asleep. Ryo walked over and knelt to pet his head. The tiger opened his eyes and looked up.

"Sleep well?" Ryo asked with a smile. "Except for me waking you up, I guess… Sorry, but I was a little worried, after all that stuff with Byakueno."

Byakuen shook his head and set it back down on the floor. He shut his eyes.

"That's fine, buddy." Ryo patted his head once more before standing up. "Sleep some more. I won't bother you this time. I'm really hungry, though." He walked past the tiger and left the room, shutting the door quietly.

* * *

Ryo walked into the dining room, feeling a mix between surprised and unsurpised that the others were all gathered there. He had sensed them before he'd even neared the room.

_At least I'm getting the hang of it._

The table was covered in various dishes and each of the other boys had plates variously filled with food. Everyone was looking at him. Shu kept eating even as he kept his attention on Ryo, while Shin returned to reaching for another bowl. Seiji had a measuring look in his eyes and Touma wore one of concern.

"Hey Ryo," Touma said, smiling to hide the concern. "Hungry? We have plenty if you want."

"Sure. Thanks." He sat on the empty chair next to Seiji, picked up an empty plate and gathered some food.

"You sleep well?" Seiji asked.

"Yeah," Ryo replied. "I feel better, too."

"That's good. How's Byakuen?"

"Tired, but he looks fine. And he's still… himself."

"Good."

"Are you all okay?" Ryo asked, looking around at them earnestly.

Shin nodded with a smile. Shu murmured something inaudible around his food that could be vaguely interpreted as "Yeah, I'm fine." Touma and Seiji replied, "Yeah, we're fine."

"We were planning to go into town later today to pick up some groceries," Shin said. "Want to come?"

Ryo stopped eating and simply looked down at his food. "I… I don't know. It probably isn't a good idea."

"Oh, still tired?"

"A little, but that's… never mind." He started eating again.  _I'm not really fit for normal company anymore, am I?_

Shu continued to watch him around food, saying nothing and getting more and more annoyed at what he saw. He set his empty bowl down and glared. "Look," he finally burst out, "I'm sorry, okay?" Ryo looked up in surprise. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. I was tired and I'm cranky when I'm tired. And I was freaked out and I wasn't thinking. So I'm sorry for… for implying anything. You've done great with the Shiroi Kikotei and just trying to fight back and I mean we could all use practice and I'm not good at this stuff, okay?" He was turning crimson and moved his eyes to his plate and crossed his arms. Everyone was looking at him in surprise.

 _So he doesn't think I'm…?_  Ryo cheeks warmed.

Shin put his hand on Shu's shoulder and smiled at Ryo. "Ryo… we don't think you're a demon or a monster or whatever. You're just a guy, like any of us. You're trying to deal with a crazy situation and you've done well. We've all kept too much to ourselves, and we need to talk about it. Together. So please don't just go away."

 _Don't run away, he means, like I run away from everything._ Ryo looked down at his plate again.  _I've been in the self-pity phase for too long. But I really don't know what to say…_  He forced himself to look up and say, "Thank you, Shin and Shu. I'm not really good, but I'm glad you think so. It's a very high compliment. Whatever you want to talk about, I'll stay for, I promise. You're right, there's a lot we have to talk about. Where do you want to start?" He was glad his hands were in his lap, to hide their shaking.

"Well…" Touma said, taking command, "Let's talk about Kenbukyou, from the beginning. How did he find us?"

"The black tiger found us," Seiji said.

"The tigers could probably sense each other," Ryo added. "Byakuen and Byakueno. They're not just ordinary tigers. They're both some sort of spirits."

"Kenbukyou also didn't show up himself," Shin added. "And we were obviously lured out to that fight. Byakueno acted as a scent hound. But why didn't Kenbukyou follow? And should we expect more demons to be able to find us through Byakuen? Do they have more of the tigers on hand?"

"I've been wondering about that, too," Touma said.

"Sarenbo lured me away from here, too," Ryo inserted. "He said he wanted to fight me alone. It might not be related, but I'm not entirely sure his problem with fighting here was that he might get interference from you all."

"That's a good point," Touma said. "I wonder if there's something about the area here that keeps out demons, to an extent. I'll have to research it." He looked at Seiji. "I could use your help, too. If it's spiritual, maybe you can sense it."

"You'll have to be more specific," Seiji replied with a frown. "This place just seems normal to me."

"But Sarenbo still got in to give that warning," Shu said, "He spoke to Ryo here. Byakueno came here."

"The tigers aren't demons," Ryo said. "So things that might keep a demon out most likely wouldn't work on them."

"Great," Shu said. "Do we have to worry about more of these?"

"I didn't know there were more like Byakuen out there," Ryo replied. "And I know that Byakueno was special. I highly doubt that there are more of them, or at least many more. I also have to wonder if Kenbukyou didn't follow because he couldn't keep up with the tiger. Byakuen moves fast when he wants to."

"He doesn't run  _that_  fast," Shu said, disbelieving.

Ryo smiled. "He hasn't had a reason to. And with me getting into fights all the time, he's wanted to stay nearby, especially when I was injured."

"All right," Touma said, "Moving past that. Do you know what happened between the two tigers at the end of the fight, when Byakueno… merged or something with Byakuen?"

Ryo drew in a breath, "Well, I think the only reason I know is because I was holding one of Kenbukyou's swords. They were connected to Kenbukyou, like how Arago's armor is connected to him - as an extension of his power. And Byakueno was also connected to Kenbukyou in a similar fashion. And I'm guessing that, partially because of that connection and because he carried the swords, they were also connected partially to Byakueno. We also know that Kenbukyou really hated Arago. That he wanted a way to beat him. I think as a sort of last-ditch effort, he had Byakueno give me the other sword, rather than have it fade away with Kenbukyou's death. That way, at least some piece of him would live on to hopefully see Arago defeated, since he knows that's what we want. And Byakueno… like you said, he  _merged_  somehow with Byakuen. He became like a suit of armor for Byakuen to wear, or some sort of anchor, for the swords to attach to. And because the Shiroi Kikotei seemed to be taking over the sword I was holding, like it was pulling on that power source, it attached itself to the swords, and since Byakueno was attached to them, and now Byakueno is attached to Byakuen… If I were to call the Shiroi Kikotei now, they'd be there, waiting for me. I know it, like I know my regular armor. And I think Byakuen, or Byakueno, would, too. But he's still Byakuen, at heart. Taking on all that power just tired him out a bit, so he has to rest. Now he just has to deal with the same thing we do." He smiled. "And since he's a lot stronger than I am, I think he has a decent chance of dealing with it just fine."

"All right," Touma said. "A merge. We'll just go with that."

"What about the swords?" Shin asked. "How did you get the one?"

"Byakuen took it."

" _What?"_  Shu's eyes were wide. "When? How?"

"When Kenbukyou took me, we fought, and my swords shattered. And Byakuen stole one of his swords for me."

"Why?" Seiji asked. "He just knew to grab it for you? How did he know that would work? They're demonic weapons."

"Yeah. I guess he's just… smart that way?"  _Not gonna talk about telepathic tigers. Just... not._

"Did you get him at a store or something?" Shu asked. "Cause I'd really like one. They seem to come in handy. My own tiger to fight demons for me… I like it."

"No." Now Ryo was frowning.

"Do you feel any different? With the swords?" Touma asked.  _Something to research later. I haven't looked into Byakuen's possible history before. Probably because he wasn't a problem before. But an animal or spirit animal of some kind with his capabilities should have an interesting history. Ryo obviously doesn't want to talk about it, so that must mean something._

"It felt a little odd at first. It was just… not mine. It's hard to describe. It was like I had a lot of power in my hands that wasn't mine to control... like something you light on fire or a flaring wire. But that didn't last very long. It was like that rebellious powerful will holding it snapped and I just… I was able to use it. I felt better. More awake. More aware. Like I had a lot of energy all of a sudden."

"So yeah, I do think that I took some of his power. I don't feel… weird or evil or anything…"  _Don't laugh at how "feeling evil" sounds…_  "But I do feel stronger. Like before I was hurt."

"Well that's good," Shin said, before Shu could say anything or a silence could reign.

"I guess," Seiji added, "if there are any real side effects, like what we're seeing with the armors, we'll learn somewhere down along the line."

"What about the regular swords?" Touma asked. "You should try resummoning your armor. If the swords shattered, we need to see what they're like now."

"I could try it later."

"I have some ideas we could try if they're still a problem."

"More of the um… energy weapons?"

"It's a thought. But I have some simpler solutions we could try. Those take too much time and energy to enact and they're hard to control. If the problem is simply that the armor is expending too much energy fixing you, maybe the solution, especially now that you're feeling better, is just to supercharge it."

"…The volcano?"

"The volcano."

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Sure. I haven't attempted suicide enough this week."

"You've demonstrated that as long as you wear the armor, you're fine. There shouldn't be a problem."

"…All right."

Before Touma could start talking again, Shu turned the conversation in another direction. "So, Arago. Still alive."

A chill settled on them all with those words.

"I guess we know that the fight isn't over yet," Seiji said, quietly. "We still have a part to play. He's undoubtedly going to keep making trouble for us. I guess we should be grateful he seems to be making trouble for  _only_  us, and hasn't been going after normal people."

"I haven't seen anything to say he has," Touma said, "and I check the news when I can. Everything seems to be as normal as ever. If there's something about lesser demonic activity, I haven't spotted it. We could start going on patrols, I suppose. Although that could be a problem if we're spread out – we'd risk one or more of us getting overwhelmed."

"So how do we find him?" Shin asked. "Just wait until he comes knocking?"

"We could go back into the city," Seiji said. "See if a gate's appeared again. If it's not, we could just make more trips there to keep checking. Otherwise… I don't see how we have a choice. Until we figure out a better way to track them, our best bet is probably going to be reacting to whatever it is they pull."

"Great," Shu huffed. "Just great."

"Hey," Shin said, patting him on the shoulder again, "This just means we have all the more reason to head into town. We were planning it anyway. Now we just have more goals."

"Well," Touma said, "How about we take a quick moment to check and see that if another demon drops in on our heads, we're all able to, well, fight." He looked pointedly at Ryo.

"You want to try this  _now_?" Ryo asked.

"With our luck,  _yes_."

Ryo sighed. "I'll have to check on Byakuen, if this is going to be a big trip. I don't want to just leave him alone."

* * *

After one successful trip to Mt. Fuji, where Ryo  _survived_  leaping down into it and channeling the energy into his weapons to restore them, and an alarmingly easy leap out of the volcano and back into the open air, the boys were heading into town.

Byakuen ended up going with them, carrying Ryo on his back and running behind the car the other boys were driving in. After a little bit more time to rest, Byakuen was up and ready to run and Ryo reasoned that he had been resting a bit too much lately as it was. He didn't want to leave the tiger alone, so he stayed outside the car. He could tell that Byakuen was clearly enjoying himself with the run and the success of restoring his swords had put Ryo in a good mood, so he smiled as they moved along, able even to ignore the chill of the wind. The sun was bright, anyway. The others kept an eye on the pair from inside the car.

"There's something odd that happened this morning," Touma said as they drove along and he looked at his phone in the passenger seat. "Apparently there was some sort of ice event or explosion late last night. It's covered a big chunk of forest nearby and it's flooding the news at the moment."

"Why didn't we hear about it earlier?" Seiji asked.

"Well, someone had to go investigate," Touma said, "and they had to see if it was a prank and if it was worth telling the public. It was also in the middle of a national park, so the lack of people in the vicinity means that it probably didn't get all that much attention for a while. Too many people think it's just a hoax, but I find that hard to believe. The news is saying that it's some really thick  _ice_  and the area it's covering is phenomenal. That doesn't sound natural to me."

"So they've finally made their move," Shu said. "And here I thought we'd have a whole day to ourselves."

"Should we head out there?" Shin asked. "Investigate?"

Touma looked up and said, "We could. It's nearby. Although we—"

Seiji hit the brake and the car skid to a halt, jolting them all back. Byakuen slid to a stop, running back for them, Ryo glancing over his shoulder to where they'd been heading.

Seiji tensed as he stared further down the road. He couldn't see anything, yet, but he could feel it.  _There's a demon up ahead…_

"What was that for?" Shu sputtered.

"Armor up!" Seiji said, unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of the car.

"Oh come on!" Shu grumbled as they all followed suit.

Ryo hopped off of Byakuen and summoned his own armor. Multi-colored light briefly filled the area as their armors formed. When it faded, the five and a battle-ready Byakuen stood ready to fight, holding their weapons before them.

"Come on," Seiji said, running forward, "Let's get away from the car. Plus, if this thing wants to surprise us, well, for once, the surprise can be on them!"

As they ran, Touma commented, "Isn't running headlong into a situation like this a bad idea?"

"It's better than having a car blow up," Ryo replied. "Considering the nature of the Rekka armor and some past experiences,  _I'd_  probably be fine, but you all probably wouldn't be. Plus, it's one less thing they can throw at us. Demons sure do like destroying everything they can…"

"There it is!" Seiji slid to a halt and raised his sword. The others stopped behind him.

Before them was the figure from the crashed meteor, standing on the road calmly and eyeing them curiously. "So, the Yoroi Senshi that have made such a stir in the demon realm appear. I was marginally worried that you weren't actually going to show up. But I guess I should have more faith in Badamon."

"Who are you?" Seiji demanded. "What do you want?"

"I am Kokuyoen, messenger of Arago. I was sent to investigate the deaths of Sarenbo and Kenbukyou. Warriors of the demon realm, vanquished by humans. Pitiful." He surveyed them critically. "I was also sent to do what they failed to accomplish. To take the Shiroi Kikotei."

"Big shocker," Shu muttered.

"We killed them," Seiji said, loudly, "And we'll do the same to you, too, if you try us. Even Arago barely survived battling the Shiroi Kikotei. If you're simply his servant, how do you expect to survive it?"

"Well I don't see it at the moment," Kokuyoen replied, "And I imagine that if I simply kill you and take the armor from your corpses, it shouldn't be a problem." He lashed his whip at them and it split into numerous strands of energy that scattered amongst the group. They dodged aside and the energy strands turned into strands of rope. One got Shu's leg, and the senshi, in the process of jumping aside, was pulled back to the ground with a crash.

Shu cursed and turned to cut at the rope, only to be shocked as electricity ran down it to hit him. He gritted his teeth with the pain.

Shin felt a heavy weight on his back and crashed to the ground himself. Laughter filled his ears before he twisted, throwing the new enemy off his back and rolled away before the demon could cut at him. When he turned to look at it, he was shocked to see yet another Kokuyoen, even though the original was still standing in the same place as before. A whip strand caught him in his distraction and he was also shocked, which forced him to his knees.

"He can make shadow clones, too!" Touma cried out as he blocked another Kokuyoen with his bow as a melee weapon. Seiji fought off yet another and Ryo was sparring with the original.

"They feel rather real," Seiji commented with annoyance, keeping his eyes on his enemy while trying to dodge the floating whip strands.

"Sarenbo's was real, too," Shin said as he finally managed to get free of the rope.

Byakuen leapt in and knocked the Kokuyoen attacking Ryo back, growling a warning.

"Odd," The demon said as he backed away from the tiger. "You look a bit like Kenbukyou's pet. Did you so-called senshi  _steal_  from that fool, as well?"

Ryo's eyes narrowed, but he kept going, throwing a Sou en Zan at the demon to try and get rid of him. The red senshi abruptly felt a chill in the air, and looked around to see ice forming on the ground beneath his feet. "What the—?"

"A waste of breath, fool," Kokuyoen said as called the ice over the senshi. He snarled when it melted as it touched Ryo's armor. Steam filled the air, and the other senshi found it hard to see their enemies. Shu had also managed to get the rope off, but was limping as he fought his opponent. Seiji was backed into a corner by three clones, now. Shin was sweating but holding his own, and Touma was struggling to keep up the fight while not being able to shoot off arrows.

Ryo shivered in the cold air, but heard Byakuen's roar and glanced down to see the tiger at his side. A superimposed image of Byakueno appeared over the tiger in his mind's eye and Ryo stared in shock at the sight. The other tiger looked severely pissed off. It faded slightly to reveal Byakuen's equally angry look, as if saying "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I can't call the Shiroi Kikotei, boy," Ryo said. "If I do, the others could be caught in the blast radius. There's not enough room to maneuver as it is. And they need their energy to fight." He targeted the place where he felt Kokuyoen's energy and threw another Sou en Zan at it, which the demon easily dodged.

Seiji called out, "Ryo, summon the armor! This is going nowhere! We'll all die at this rate!"

"What?!" the red senshi sputtered, trying to hold his own against the demon. "But… you all—!"

"Do it!" Touma called. "The summon should knock them out, and the armor can take care of Icy for us."

"But—"

"We're going to die if you keep hesitating, Ryo," Shin said, his tone unforgiving. "Arago and the demons can't take the Shiroi Kikotei. Even if we're hurt, that's our mission. They can't get their hands on it."

"Do it, Ryo!" Shu called out. "Just do it!"

Ryo hesitated only once more, and then called on the Shiroi Kikotei. It was easier this time. The armor was still hungry for the fight and it enjoyed having a compliant host. As the flames coated him, they reached out to the Kokuyoen clones and burned them to nothing, leaving only the echoes of their screams. The original Kokuyoen leapt up into the safety of the air, glaring down at the shining white armor and the senshi.

Byakuen growled, calling Ryo's attention. He now wore the form of Byakueno and the two swords rested on his back, waiting to be used. Ryo unsheathed them and held them up, aiming at Kokuyoen in preparation.

"Good," Kokuyoen said, "You summoned it. Now I just have to trap you and I can send you as a gift to my master." He focused, and ice began forming at rapid speed, trapping the outer senshi and reaching in for Ryo. The red senshi briefly looked panicked, but the intense heat of the armor easily melted the ice around his feet, stopping it from covering him. He pushed the heat outward, melting the rest of the ice, and his friends were soon freed.

Kokuyoen gave up with the ice and lashed out once more at them with his whip, only to be knocked aside as Touma and Shin both used their special attacks on him. He shook himself and thought of retreating to think of a new strategy.

Ryo raised his swords and aimed at the demon. The cement at his feet began to melt with the intensity of the armor's heat output and even Byakuen backed away with the others to escape the power surge. Ryo could feel the power building in his hands. The strength still intimidated him and he wondered that he could even think of controlling such a thing, but another part of him felt an intense rush at the sheer power he could wield. He tamped down on that, not wanting to let the armor in to control him and wreak more damage than was necessary. The armor did  _not_  like that, but it still hungered for Kokuyoen's life, and Ryo focused on the demon and unleashed the armor's pent-up anger at him. "Rage… of… Inferno!"

The blaze of ballistic fury roared upward to smash into Kokuyoen – too large for him to dodge and too hot and powerful for him to survive. A scream of agony and anger was all he had as he was burned away. The remainder of the attack thundered up into the sky, vanishing in the clouds.

Ryo waited a breath for the demon to reappear – perhaps this was yet another shadow clone. But nothing happened. He returned the swords to Byakuen and deactivated his armor, taking a knee as his exhaustion hit. The form of Byakueno faded away from Byakuen along with the disappearance of the Shiroi Kikotei and the tiger nudged Ryo's right shoulder with concern. Ryo looked at him and smiled. "It's all right, buddy. I guess this means I'm getting used to it." He scratched the cat's chin. "I'm glad you're all right."

The other senshi deactivated their armors and sagged a bit, themselves. The power drain was enormous, but it had felt oddly easier this time around. Shu's limp was bad, but even now it was quickly improving and he was able to walk on his own after a short time while they drifted back to the car.

"Well  _that_  was exciting." Touma's sarcasm made Shin laugh.

"At least we'll be able to say that it was an interesting summer," the other senshi replied.

"Now we know that Kenbukyou wasn't lying," Seiji said. "Unless there's a group of them interested in lying to us, for some strange reason."

" **You have won this time senshi, but the Shiroi Kikotei _will_  be mine."**

They all stopped in their tracks as the booming voice sounded overhead. They turned to look up in the sky, searching for it, Seiji already reactivating his armor for another attack. Nothing and no one appeared and Arago, for it had been his voice, spoke no more.

Seiji looked around, searching. "I don't sense any demons, and certainly not one as big as Arago." He deactivated his armor.

Ryo sat down on Byakuen's back and tried to hide his shaking. Arago's voice alone had terrified him beyond what he thought was possible. Bad enough he had those  _awful_  dreams. Now the demon was  _officially_  back, and the Yoroi Senshi were clearly back in the game. They were fighting the demon realm once more.

 _I've fought Sarenbo, Kenbukyou and now Kokuyoen. I've recovered most of the way. I'm getting a hang of both my armors and I've got the Rekka swords back. Byakuen is fine and maybe even stronger than he was. So are the others. I_ shouldn't  _be terrified of Arago. Maybe I didn't beat him the first time._ Fully, _anyway. But_ this _time, when I have the extra power and control… I can't be so terrified that I can't fight. Not like last time… Not_ again _…_

"Ryo?" Touma put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "You okay?"

The face that turned to look at the blue-haired senshi was paler than normal, but Ryo was able to put up a smile. "No. But I'll manage. I have to."

Touma's expression was hard. "Don't push yourself. You can do this. You're strong." He looked at the others. "We all are. We beat them once. We've beaten every enemy and every obstacle they've thrown at us. We can do it again. This time, we go up against Arago, and we take him down  _permanently._ "

They all nodded, their eyes hard. Each of them had their doubts, their fears. But  _together_ , they were stronger. They could  _do_  this.

Shin smiled and asked, "Still up for heading into town?"


	10. Friends Old and New

"You know, this is the first time 'we could use some more food'  _also_  means 'we are eating our last meal'," Seiji commented as they drove towards the city. It was the day after Kokuyoen's attack. Too tired to continue on afterward, the boys had returned to the safe house and rested up.

Until Shu had reminded them about the reason they had wanted to go into town in the first place: their food situation. Only this time, he had  _elaborated_  on their difficulties, much to the surprise of his housemates.

"Well it wasn't our last meal when I  _first_  suggested it," Shu said nervously. "I  _thought_  it wasn't going to be a big deal. Plus, we always eat more after a fight—"

"You especially," Shin poked him in the shoulder from the backseat, a smile on his face. "I wonder if someone  _else_  should start being responsible for making sure we have enough food."

"Well make sure you get a new chef, too." Shu snorted. "Since none of you have offered to cook anything all that palatable, and the person cooking is the one who will know best how much of what we need."

Shin laughed. "I'm kidding, Shu. Sorry I offended you." He leaned forward, "There's no one else I would want to cook the food. I love what you make. Even if I can feel my waistline rapidly expanding after every meal."

Shu grinned. Then he shook his head. "I wish Touma and Ryo were here. We could all use a day out of the house. They're missing out on wherever we stop for lunch, too!"

"We'll bring them something back," Seiji reassured him. "But Ryo could still use some R&R from yesterday and someone needs to… have his back."

Shin leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.

"You know," Shu said quietly, "The guy isn't dumb, and he doesn't like being babysat."

"And I don't like babysitting," Seiji replied "And I don't think any of you do, either. But until he starts figuring out that he can't just  _run_ into trouble  _and_  demons stop chasing after the Shiroi Kikotei, we don't really have a choice. And the more active and back in shape he gets, the less it's 'babysitting' and the more it's 'protecting each other'." He pressed his lips together. "I'm actually more concerned about  _us_. It seems like every time we go into or out of town, we end up getting attacked by demons, and they keep getting stronger. And this time we don't have the Shiroi Kikotei for back-up. It would be just our luck to get attacked again."

"Oh come  _on_ ," Shin said. "You have to have  _faith_  sometimes. Our luck can't be  _all_ bad."

"You're right," Seiji said. "We just use all the good stuff up on not  _dying_  every time using the armors kick our human butts. That leaves bad luck for everything el-" He released the gas and pressed gently on the break, bringing them to a stop. He turned the car off.

"Oh come on!" Shu groaned. " _Seriously?_ "

"Suit up," Seiji commanded. " _Now."_  He picked up his cellphone and called the safe house. It rang and rang and finally hit the voicemail.

"Kuso! Where are they?" He tried again, reaching the voice mail once more. After a glance out the car, he put the phone down, unclipped his seat belt, and was outside.

"You're not going to try again?" Shin asked in surprise.

Green light filled the area and Seiji was wearing the Korin armor.

"Guess that's a yes," Shu replied. He and Shin shared a look and quickly followed Seiji's example.

* * *

Hidden above the cliff, behind a clump of bushes, Tsuri looked down at them, cursing her ill-timed luck. She hadn't been fast enough to warn them off the trail. Now the enemy already knew where they were, and there was no avoiding a fight.  _I could run down there, and… gods, how many are on their way?_

* * *

Shin was looking in the same direction as Seiji as he started to sense the approaching presence the other senshi had. "It's moving fast, whatever it is. The others wouldn't have time to get here, anyway."

"Feels like the Demon Mashou," Seiji said, "Although so have the others, so I wouldn't set any store by that."

"Arago is back," Shin replied. "And we survived what he did to us. It makes sense that they would be back, too. It's not like they really minded being absorbed by him in the final battle, after all. If they were still following him, it would make sense to send them out, next. They know how to fight us already, and Arago won't waste any more of his elite soldiers on the Shiroi Kikotei."

Seiji took all that in, but instead replied, "Touma and Ryo might not be answering for any number of reasons. But at a time like this… I don't like it. It stinks of 'trap'. This is what we were afraid would happen." He moved forward, away from the car.

"We could go back," Shu said. "Try and help the others. Get in the car, or even run there, since we have our armors on already."

"No," Seiji replied. "It might just be coincidence. They might want to uncover the others' location. If we ran back now, we'd be leading them right to the Shiroi Kikotei." The sky darkened unnaturally above them. Clouds were gathering quickly overhead. Seiji's eyes narrowed. "Anubis…" He focused and a comforting light shined from his sword, illuminating the surrounding area.

"It could be someone else," Shin said, his weapon ready for an attack. "Demons sharing a thing for darkness sounds almost natural to me."

"You three are still as pathetic as usual," a voice said from above.

Shu gripped his weapon tighter. "Rajura… you coward! Show yourself!"

Shin looked around for the source of the voice, then turned back and barely blocked Naaza's Ja Ga Kin, which still knocked him back into Shu with its force. As they pushed themselves back up, Shin muttered, "Kuso! All three of them…"

"Well of course," Anubis added, remaining hidden. "When Lord Arago offered us the opportunity to drag you three back to the demon realm, kicking and screaming, who were we to resist the offer?"

"Your fetishes are getting worse, Anubis," Seiji replied, searching for him in the growing darkness around them. "Wait… three?"

"Sadly," Naaza added, stepped into the light. "The other two have been saved for someone else."

"It  _is_  a trap," Shu said. "We need to get back!"

"Oh, but we're not done with you yet," Rajura called from the darkness. "You should be worrying about yourselves first."

* * *

Back at the safe house, as the other three senshi were chatting in the car, Ryo was taking a nap in his room. Byakuen was lying nearby. Touma was in the kitchen, reading some information online as he ate a snack.

Byakuen abruptly put his head up and looked out one of the nearby windows. Since the incident with Kenbukyou, he and Ryo had moved to another room, while the broken glass doors had been covered up as the boys debated how to get it fixed.

Byakuen stood and padded out of the room and down the stairs, catching Touma's eye as he walked past.

"What's up, Byakuen? Is Ryo awake?"

When the red senshi failed to appear and Byakuen came to a stop by the closed front door, Touma put down his food and stepped over, opening the door so that the tiger could exit.

"Bathroom break…?" Touma asked, curious. But as he looked outside, he caught sight of a stranger walking towards the house through the grass. Touma summoned his sub-yoroi, but was surprised when Byakuen sedately walked up to the figure and stopped. The stranger reached down and petted the tiger on the head. Touma frowned and squinted, trying to get a better look at the person.  _It kind of looks like…_

His eyes widened in shock and he called out, "Kaos!" The figure wore the same robes and hat and bore the familiar golden shakujo. Touma ran toward the pair, a grin on his face. But as he neared, the new arrival looked up at the Yoroi Senshi and pulled his hat up so that Touma could see his face.

Touma skid to a halt as he looked into the eyes of someone else he hadn't expected to see again: Shutendoji. The former Demon Mashou smiled at him and said, "As you can clearly see that I'm  _not_  Kaos, let me just say hello again, Touma. Sorry I'm not who you wanted to see."

Touma shook his head, "No, it's fine. We thought you were dead!" He smiled again, "I'm honestly really glad we were wrong." He eyed Shutendoji's garb thoughtfully. " _Really_ glad."

Shutendoji bowed his head. "Yes. That's… a long story. And we have little time. You've been made aware that Arago has not been destroyed?"

"Yeah. Some demons attacked us, and Arago himself spoke to us the other day. He's coming for us again, and for the Shiroi Kikotei."

"Yes. That's what he wants most. With that kind of power added to his own, Arago would be able to rule the demon realm and the human world uncontested, as he pleased."

"Come on inside," Touma offered. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come sooner?"

Shutendoji followed him, Byakuen at his side. "I awoke at the edge of Arago's castle, completely exhausted and with little energy to protect myself. Luckily, an old ally of mine found me before the Youja, and she was able to hide me until I could be smuggled out of the demon realm. She watched over me until I recovered, and has been good enough to help me ever since."

"Where's your friend now?"

"Keeping watch over your companions. I can't be in two places at once."

"Wait, you've been watching us? For how long?"

"Almost since Arago's fall. While I was recovering, Kaos came to me in a dream. He told me that he had chosen me as his successor and directed me to this," he lifted the shakujo slightly, "And taught me much. I must now carry on with his quest – to end Arago's evil once and for all, and to protect the human world. Part of that is keeping any new powers Arago might use for his own ends  _out_  of his hands, especially something like the Shiroi Kikotei and the other fragments of his armor – the five armors you carry, and my own."

"Why didn't you show yourself before?" They walked into the house and paused in the living room. "We could have used your help. Even just knowing that you  _survived_  would have helped. Knowing we got out, but you lost your life in the battle… it made things worse."

"I…" Shutendoji paused, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I've been busy trying to keep other demons from attacking the human world. Without Arago to reign them in, and with the power backlash from the Shiroi Kikotei, cracks in the wall between the human world and the demon realm were opened, allowing many demons to break through and try to wreak havoc here."

"Yeah, we've met some of them," Touma replied.

"Only a few," Shutendoji said. "We've been catching and destroying many more. I've been reaching out to other contacts. Calling in favors – my own and some of Kaos' – and sparking more dissent at Arago's reign, to get others to fight back his feelers or change their minds about coming here and making trouble. Arago's recent attack on the human world garnered some interest among the demon population, and his fall during that final battle more so. Many powerful demons tried to usurp his throne, only to be tossed aside by his forces, which were virtually untouched by your attack on his stronghold. You were lucky that you were able to attack him directly, or unlucky, I suppose. That meant that, even in his weakened state, he still had an army to defend himself and fight others. He's come back strong, and he's asserting his will over a large portion of the demon realm once more, although he still faces insurrectionary forces."

Touma had a look of amazement on his face. "I…  _wow_  you work fast. And Arago's still strong, even with all that?"

"Arago has been the least of my worries, relatively, until recently. He's only been building his forces, dealing with dissent – not really attacking here as much as the lesser demons and other powerful ones out of his control. So I haven't really been dealing with him or the greater part of his strength, nor have my efforts really done much to unseat him. He's struck down numerous powerful demon lords and solidified his power base, even more so than when you first saw him strike out at the human world. He's also terribly good at recovery. Now that he has a moment to breathe, he's able to come after you all again, and to try and take the Shiroi Kikotei."

"You seem to know a lot about all this…"

"Four hundred years is a long time to live in one place. I'd be twice a fool if I'd done nothing in that time period other than stare at walls and posture before the other Demon Mashou. Thankfully, I've still got some contacts on the inside, so even here, I'm not entirely uninformed, and I can piece together what those contacts have been able to tell me. But for now, we need to get Ryo. You're not safe here."

"What?"

"I told you already. Arago is coming after you all. He's been watching for some time. He doesn't want to risk fighting the Shiroi Kikotei out here, where he's weaker. He's going to attack while you're separated and unable to call it, capture you and drag you all back to the demon realm, and there he'll have control over the armor while he prepares the last of his forces in preparation to once again fully assault the human world."

"And you couldn't have told us sooner? The others—"

"I've been up to my neck in fighting demons left and right. I only received the communication that Arago was attacking  _today_  a short while ago. I came over here as fast as I could. I sent an ally to look after the others, although I don't think she'll be able to do much."

"What? Why?"

"Arago has sent my former comrades – the other three Demon Mashou – after the other three Yoroi Senshi."

Touma blanched. "No… We have to help them!"

Shutendoji blocked him from leaving. "It's probably already too late. All three of the Demon Mashou have centuries of experience on you and plenty of Youja at their backs, and you would be going  _without_  the aid of the Shiroi Kikotei. Plus, they've been going through the same… intense training regimen I was getting before Kaos gave me back my sanity. The Demon Mashou are very powerful right now. And they haven't been through the harsh battles you all have been in, that have been wearing you down ever since you last fought Arago."

"We've beaten them before!"

"Yes, and the other Yoroi Senshi have about an even chance in beating the Demon Mashou now. But you won't help them by flying off after them. Would you leave Ryo alone?"

Touma looked away. "So you want me to stand here while my friends get  _killed_?"

"No. I want you to get your head on straight and understand what's important. Plus, Arago doesn't want them  _dead_. He wants you all – all of  _us_  – captured. We've learned how to use the armors better than they've been used in the past, and you all can use the Shiroi Kikotei. He doesn't need to find and train more soldiers – he can just use  _us_. So whatever he does, they'll be alive."

" _But_ ," he began, before Touma could interrupt, "we need to get you and Ryo out of here. They know you're here. They could come at any time. We need to keep moving and stay ahead of them. Find a way to beat Arago without being under constant attack."

Touma was silent a while, considering. Then he turned and walked up the stairs. "Fine. I'll see if he's awake."

Shutendoji and Byakuen followed. Touma knocked on the door once they reached it and said, "Ryo, you up?"

After a moment they heard a groggy, "Yeah. Something wrong?"

"Can we come in?"

"Uh, sure."

Touma pushed open the door and the trio stepped in to find Ryo sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up some more. When he saw that Touma wasn't with the other senshi and had a Kaos lookalike in tow, his eyes shot fully open and he backed up in the bed. "What the—!?"

"It's all right!" Touma called, moving forward to stand beside him while Shutendoji stayed back, eying the black-haired senshi. "It's all right! It's Shutendoji! He survived the battle with Arago! And he's still on our side."

 _Someone looks like they've seen much better days,_  Shutendoji thought as he eyed Ryo. He could see the toll that wearing the Shiroi Kikotei had taken on the boy, but he also saw that the red senshi's aura was still strong. Ready for a fight.  _Good_ , he thought,  _he'll need that._

"Where did he-where did you come from?"

"It's a long story," Shutendoji replied. He abruptly glanced out the window. "And I'm afraid we're out of time. Before we battle Arago's emissary, you must do me a favor – I've been keeping the enemy confused as to my identity. They have a mixture of reports that I, Shutendoji, have survived the battle, and am now making havoc, but I've also started rumors that Kaos is still alive and making trouble for Arago's forces. The longer they don't really know who I am, the better. Now come." He left through the door, Byakuen following him out.

Ryo simply stared. "What…?"

"Later, Ryo," Touma said. "Come on. Arago's decided to step things up and come after us now." He ran after Shutendoji and Byakuen.

Ryo blinked a few more times, trying to get a handle on things.  _Maybe I'm still asleep…_  He froze as he felt a strong approaching demonic aura.

 _Yeah. Time to fight._  He summoned his sub-yoroi and ran after the others.

* * *

"Who is it?" Touma asked, summoning his regular armor and putting an arrow on the string.

Shutendoji was standing guard some distance outside the house, with Byakuen at his side, looking over the area. "Someone I have not seen in some time… I didn't realize Arago had pulled her off the battlefield for this."

"Who?"

" _Kayura_ ," Shutendoji replied. "One of Arago's best." He grabbed Touma and leapt back, Byakuen following, as purple lightning struck down from the sky in the spot where they'd been standing. As they landed a distance away, more lightning struck down at the same spot, filling the area with bright purple light. When it faded, a large crater was all that remained. Byakuen growled from nearby.

"What was  _that_?" Ryo asked, running up to them in his Rekka armor.

Shutendoji let go of Touma's arm and looked around. "Kayura. Gods, this is  _not_  what we need right now…"

More lightning crashed down and Shutendoji managed to just barely block it with his shakujo, causing golden light to fill the area. He fell to his knees after the light died.

"Are you all right?" Touma asked.

"It has been a long day," Shutendoji replied, standing up again. "Stand ready. She is only playing."

Chuckling filled the air and an armored woman with long blue hair and light peach skin, carrying twin sai and smiling widely, fell from the sky to land safely on the grass nearby, forming another small crater with the impact. As she stood up and the dust dissipated, they could see that she had blue eyes with red face paint around them. She wore a golden necklace that shined brightly. Her armor was lighter and less menacing than the Yoroi Senshi and the Demon Mashou, but she still made herself look quite dangerous as she twirled her swords and allowed the pressure of her presence to fill the area.

"Ha. I was promised two Yoroi Senshi, and I find the much glorified Kaos, too! How wonderful! Three threats to my lord Arago to deal with, all in one place. This should be fun!" She turned away from them and began to walk slowly around them, her eyes on Shutendoji. "But that's a bit odd, you see. I'd heard that Kaos was dead. So that's apparently wrong. You're another of his supposedly extinct breed, or you're an imposter." She smiled. "Which is it?"

 _I don't think I like her smile,_ Touma thought.  _It's sadistic_.

"Move!" Ryo jumped in front of the others as Kayura dove in with her sai. Blades met blades and the force of her attack knocked him back into the others. She dove to attack him while he was down and he barely blocked her.

Touma stood back up, aimed, and fired an arrow at her. She was gone before it struck her, floating in the air a distance away with a grin. Touma tracked her and got off more shots, which she dodged completely.

Ryo sat up and tried to aim at her. "She's moving around too much! I can't get off an attack at her!"

"You think I haven't noticed that problem?" Touma called. He focused and fired a Shin Ku Ha at her, grazing her and making her fall to the ground with a startled cry. "Ha! Got her!"

Ryo paused as he prepared to fire off his own attack. She wasn't moving. "Um…"

"Don't hesitate, you fool!" Shutendoji cried, "She's just—!"

Kayura stood back up and raised her sai to the sky. The wind picked up around her.

Ryo called his Sou en Zan and directed it at her, the firey swathe of power hitting the spot where she stood.

"Touma—" Shutendoji began, before another burst of purple lightning hit the trio, blowing them in different directions. Shutendoji managed to protect himself from the brunt of the blast, but landing in the lake, on top of everything else, was a bit of a problem. Touma crashed into the house wall, and Ryo was sent sliding through the dirt, only to be stopped by a very solid tree trunk. Shutendoji swam to the shore and pulled himself up on the bank, gasping. Touma and Ryo lay dazed.

Kayura landed, completely unscratched by Ryo's attack, and shook her head. "Is that the best you can muster? And I heard you were the  _scourge_  of the demon realm."

Byakuen ran up to Shutendoji and tugged at his arm. The former Demon Mashou thought the tiger was trying to help him stand, until Byakuen began tugging on the shakujo. Shutendoji stared at him in surprise. "What are you…?"  _Does he want me to attack? That should be_ obvious _…_   _But in my state, even I might not be able to defeat her, and I'm not fast enough. The other two aren't ready for her. If the Shiroi Kikotei were here…_ He froze.  _No… could I?_

Kayura looked at him, now minus his hat. Her eyes widened and she laughed. "Shutendoji? Is that  _you_? Well, we wondered if you'd truly survived. That makes things easier. I don't have to track you down." She stepped towards him, "But why haven't you used your armor powers? And what are you  _doing_  imitating that mystic  _dead_  fool?"

"What's  _right_ , Kayura," Shutendoji said, before aiming and tossing the shakujo at Ryo's feet. He focused, sending his power to Ryo and forming a connection with the Tenku armor.

Touma opened his eyes as he felt the familiar tug of the Shiroi Kikotei beginning to form. Blue light surrounded him.

Ryo stood up slowly, feeling the onrush of power.  _But the others aren't here… how is this happening? Are they nearby?_  He could feel Touma's power, but there were two new ones in the mix – one that felt oddly like Kaos, and the other…  _I recognize this one, but where…?_

A clanging filled the air as the rings on the shakujo began to shake. Kayura cried out in pain and put her hands on her ears, "What is that infernal noise?"

The warm blanket of the Shiroi Kikotei covered Ryo and he saw Byakuen transform into Byakueno. The tiger ran towards him, allowing him to draw the two armor blades and hold them aloft. He turned to Kayura, who had pulled her hands from her ears and now shaded her eyes against the bright light of the armor.

"Ugh, what an irritating light…" She said as she backed away from him.

_"Kayura!"_

_"Help us!"_

She crushed her hands to ears.  _What in the world…? Is Shutendoji giving me hallucinations now?_

"Rage…" Ryo began, focusing on her. "Rage… of… Inferno!" The attack roared at Kayura, burning the grass in its wake and lighting up the entire area with a golden-red glow.

Shutendoji shaded his eyes.  _So this is the power of the Shiroi Kikotei. It truly is incredible, just like you said it was, Kaos._

 _How is Ryo using it?_  Touma wondered, watching the whole thing.  _The others aren't here. I can't sense them nearby._  He  _did_  sense an odd new power source and spotted the brightly glowing shakujo near Ryo's feet.  _Is that…?_ He looked at Shutendoji, who was wearing the familiar Ogre Armor once again and glowing gold.  _His armor… But how did Shutendoji…?_

When the attack dissipated, nothing was left. The trees behind where Kayura had been standing were burnt away, and the air smelled of sulfur. Ryo looked up in the sky, and there she was, looking down at him.

"You win this round," she called, "But we'll meet again, Ryo. That's a promise."  _At least the voices stopped now._ She vanished from sight.

Ryo watched for a moment more, then sheathed the swords and deactivated the Shiroi Kikotei, falling to a knee to rest after it. He deactivated his regular armor to give himself more of a breather.

Touma also deactivated his armor, stumbling forward to sit by his friend. "You all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, just winded, still," Ryo replied. "You?"

"Same." Touma looked at the house and damage he'd caused. Two windows were broken and there was a Touma-sized indent in the wall. "Glad this isn't mine. But that's more to repair down the line…" He turned to look at Shutendoji, who got up and walked towards them, picking up his shakujo as he went. His armor was gone and he was back in his monk robes. "Thanks," Touma said. "Are you all right, Shutendoji?"

"I will recover, although there goes any hopes I had of keeping up the disguise for Arago." He glanced down at Ryo, who was now leaning on Byakuen. "I apologize for that. I didn't know it was possible."

"What, that you could fuel the Shiroi Kikotei using Kaos' abilities?" Touma pointedly asked. "I'm glad it worked, anyway.

"It was partially Kaos' abilities… and partially that of my Ogre armor."

Ryo looked up at him. "I knew it. I felt… I recognized it, but it felt off, somehow. Like the power you used to use against us, but less…  _dark_  somehow."

"It used to be corrupted by Arago," Shutendoji replied. "Now it exists in its old, purified state, like when Kaos first made the armors. And something more… No one has worn it as long as I have, and it has changed for the experience. I'm amazed you could sense the difference in power. It shows a great deal of skill."

Ryo smiled. "I guess that means I can learn, anyway."

"We should—" Shutendoji looked back towards the house, his face serious. He tightened his hold on the shakujo.

"Another enemy?" Touma asked, summoning his sub-yoroi with a wince. "I don't know what I have left in me."

Shutendoji smiled, relaxing his stance. "It's all right. It's a friend. The one I was telling you about." His smile faded. "But she's alone."

"And that's not good?" Ryo asked.

"No. She's the one I sent to watch your friends."

A woman dressed in dark brown light armor hopped off the roof of the house and to the ground, coming to a halt by them. She had short, dark hair and light brown skin. Her eyes were green. She looked at Shutendoji and said, "They've been taken, Shiten. It's done."

"Tsuri—"

"Next time you want me to attack  _three_  Demon Mashou and a small army of Youja, you  _tell_  me first, and  _maybe_  I'll think more about doing it for you."

Shutendoji sighed. "Gods."

"They put up a good fight, though," she added, looking at Ryo and Touma. "And don't let it be said that I didn't  _try_. But there was a level of power being thrown around that place that I wasn't ready for, Shiten, and I'm not quite ready to be another body on The Cause's pile, yet." She looked back at Shutendoji. "So now what? Go after them, or keep on keeping on?"

Shutendoji was silent as he considered.  _Are we ready to go into the demon realm again?_  He looked at Ryo and Touma. They looked exhausted from their battle with Kayura, but there was anger in their eyes. Anger at the loss of their friends and at the return of Arago and his ilk. Fear at the thought of another long battle against Arago. And strength. The willingness to keep going.

 _The armors chose well_.

"We're going after our friends," Ryo stood up, shakily. "We'll take them  _back_. And if Arago means to go after the human world once again, we'll be there to stand in his way, and take him down for  _real_  this time."

Touma slowly got up and stood beside his friend, his expression just as serious.

Byakuen growled for added effect.

Shutendoji smiled. "Well then. It seems we're headed to the demon realm once more, Tsuri. Will you be coming?" He looked at her once again. She was a tad surprised, and clearly a bit tired from the ordeals of the day. But they'd known each other for almost two hundred years. They'd fought together. She wanted to see Arago gone so she could leave peacefully in the human world once again. And she  _never_  backed down from a fight.

She smiled. "Well, it's a fool's mission. But it might be fun. Lead the way."

* * *

"So Shutendoji truly is alive…"

Kayura watched Arago silently as he digested  _that_  information, along with everything else in her report.

Well… not  _everything._  But he didn't need to know that she had been affected by Shutendoji's attack, whatever it was.

The demon lord sat, still somewhat ephemeral, but mostly fleshed out, on a large throne in the fully lit throne room. Time to recover and absorb some rebellious ex-allies and underlings had given him strength again. Kayura was standing on the carpet before him. She hated returning in disgrace – with no armors, Yoroi Senshi, or even imitation-Kaos in tow.

 _But what was I supposed to do against the power of the Shiroi Kikotei? That's why we decided on this course of action – that way,_ none _of us would have fight it!_  She considered numerous torturous scenarios to put Badamon through,  _later_. After all, it was  _his_  failed plan.

"He is undoubtedly still adjusting to Kaos' powers, Lord Arago," Badamon said from his seat near the throne.

Kayura looked at him and thought of how much he looked like a dried prune, except even uglier than that.  _But he's powerful, at least. Or he's_ supposed _to be. His predictions are apparently rather faulty lately, and his surveillance has_ enormous _holes in it. If this were the battlefield, I'd never allow such a useless cretin to stay in my presence. He's too untrustworthy and risky. He commands the Nether Spirits, after all. Who knows what havoc he could cause if he ever got too big for his britches?_

"And so he is unable to pose as much of a threat as Kaos did? Is that what you mean to say Badamon? Could it be that you are trying to make up for your failure to spot Shutendoji and his ilk up to their tricks on the fringes of my domain?"

Kayura suppressed the smile as she saw Badamon squirm beneath Arago's gaze.

"Forgive me, my lord. I merely wished—"

"I know what you  _wished_ , Badamon. And you are most likely correct. The fact that Kayura returned at all to me is testament to that." He looked back to her. Or at least she thought his head turned slightly towards her. It was hard to tell where his large, pupil-less eyes were looking. "At least this is not an entire failure, Kayura. You have brought back valuable intelligence. Intelligence that may have come too late, had I relied on  _other_  sources."

Badamon squirmed again.

"So I thank you. Return to your quarters. Prepare for your next assignment. I trust you now understand that this is a different game than putting down rebellious lesser demons."

"Yes," she replied. "Humans are interesting. But I shall rise to the challenge in the next fight. I promise you that, my lord."

Arago chuckled. "Good. Now be gone."

When they were alone, Arago turned to Badamon and asked, "So, I trust that you will continue advancing our knowledge of the connection between the Yoroi Senshi, using the ones we have captured?"

Badamon flinched at the darkness in Arago's tone. "Of-of course my lord! Right away!" He vanished from sight.

Arago laughed.


	11. Where Are They Now?

_Decorating is clearly_  not _someone's strong suit here,_  Shin thought as he looked around his newfound prison. His eyes were partially closed against the dust-filled wind and the painfully bright light. His throat was also dry. He had no idea how big the place was. No matter which direction he turned seemed to be open desert.

_But I can tell that I'm in the demon realm. I don't know why I'm not dead yet – unless this is a new form of torture after being reabsorbed by Arago. I'm amazed none of the Demon Mashou are here to gloat… What did they do with the others? They can't be... no. They're alive. Somewhere._

He was still hurting from the fight when he, Shu and Seiji were overwhelmed by the Demon Mashou and a large contingent of Youja. Shin remembered one oddly armored demon who appeared to be fighting the Demon Mashou and Youja as well: it wore light green armor and had taken out a surprising number of the Youja. Shin was knocked out before he could see more.

"It's rather amusing to watch you going in circles, Shin."

 _There you are…_  Shin stopped walking and looked up to the spot where he sensed Naaza. The Mashou appeared out of the wind and dropped to the ground.

"There's literally nothing else you'd rather do than watch me being lost?" Shin said, every word painful as the dust filled his throat and dry lips cracked. "What did you do before we started fighting each other?" He blinked, momentarily stymied. "On second thought, never mind. I seriously  _don't_  want to know. I don't feel like throwing up right now."

"Some things never change," Naaza commented. "Humans are still quick to insult. Will you be as quick to beg?"

"Beg for what? My life?"

"Why not? You'll never get out of here without  _my_  help."

"Only because I know you'd enjoy it too much and you wouldn't do anything to help me anyway. But you could help yourself."

"And how would I do that?"

"Arago is  _using_  you. All he cares about is the armor. He's not planning to share power with you. In his version of paradise, you would be dead. He'd absorb your armor again, like he did the last time. Don't you remember that? Do you want to just be one more  _part_  of him? Trapped in that darkness forever?"

"…Unlike you humans, I don't fear the dark."

"No wonder you and Anubis are such good friends."  _He hesitated. It could be his usual penchant for melodrama, but maybe there's something there._

"Clearly this is too easy for you," the Mashou replied. "I'll leave you to wander for a bit. Then I'll return and use what's left of you for a punching bag." Naaza leapt away, vanishing into a dust cloud.

Shin shut his eyes as the wind grew in strength.  _Well… back to this, then._

* * *

Naaza watched safely from above as Shin continued to search for an exit.  _These senshi are too big for their britches. They think they can speak to us as if… As if they knew_ exactly _what we've been thinking ever since Arago made us open our eyes. He promised us power and dominion over others. Instead, we've been_ trapped _in this gods-forsaken place for an age, and to top it off, we're apparently appetizers when Arago feels the time is right._

 _But so what? It's not like we could free ourselves. Kaos, irritating as he was, is the only enemy_ yet _to have been able to oppose Arago on semi-equal terms, and he died. Shutendoji, the arrogant fool, tried to escape and failed. And if I were to… if I…_  He looked up, not even trusting this place, deep in the castle. It was too much a part of Arago's domain.  _Are even my thoughts unsafe now? With this armor… how do I even know?_

* * *

Shu smashed another mirror with his sansetsukon, only to find another behind it. After he stepped forward to glare at the new one, a mirror replaced the one behind him. He yelled in frustration.

"Come  _on_! Rajura, if this is the best you've got, you've seriously gone downhill since our last fight. Did the battle with Arago destroy what few braincells you have left? Did you use what you had left to capture us? Is that why you needed all those Youja to help you?"

"Your mistake is thinking that subtlety is less intelligent and valuable than your typical avenue of attack: barging straight through whatever is in your way."

Shu turned and fired off a Gan Tessai in the direction of Rajura's voice. The sound of countless shattering mirrors and breaking wooden frames filled the air.

As everything stilled and the echoes faded away, Shu briefly saw a pile of detritus before it reformed into an untouched mirror maze. The lit lamps floating above in the darkness of the ceiling didn't even flicker.

"You damn coward!" Shu cried. He raised his weapon to attack once more.

_You've kept your cool. I really respect that._

Shu paused as he remembered Shin's comments, and lowered his weapon.  _Rajura knows that he can drive me crazy like this. That's what he wants. If I'm mad, I won't be able to figure a way out of this. It'll be an easy win for him._

_Kuso! He pisses me off! But I can't react like I normally would. I need to think like Shin or Seiji or Touma… They would… uh…_

"What, did you finally run out of gas?" Rajura asked. He scoffed. "You Yoroi Senshi were always so  _weak_."

"Is that why you needed so much help to capture just the three of us?" Shu threw back. "Weak as you say we are, you still needed two other Demon Mashou and all those Youja!"

"…You know, I think that you're too comfortable in your surroundings."

"Huh?"

The floor vanished and Shu plummeted through it with a cry of alarm.

The fall just kept on going and Shu became even more terrified as he wondered when he would hit bottom. Dying in battle was one thing, but he hadn't prepared himself to die by falling and getting smashed against whatever was waiting for him at the bottom of this place: hard floor, spikes, ice and a freezing lake, magma… Each idea was worse than the last.

 _Idiot! This isn't real! Plus, the armor would probably protect me, unless it_ is _spikes, or lava, or really deep water or… dammit, this is Rajura! Nothing he does is real! It's just tricks! Plus, he did this because I ticked him off. Well, since that seems to be a superpower of mine, let's see what else we can make him do, shall we?_

He forced himself to stare upward rather than close his eyes. "What, is this the best you can do? You can't actually attack me. You have to throw cheap tricks like this at me! Back when we first met, you were actually creative. Now you're just a sham! What, did Arago scare the sense out of you?"

His head smashed into solid floor and for a while all he saw was white.

_Note to self… He might be the Illusion Demon Mashou, but his attacks can still hurt…_

"You have a big mouth." Rajura's voice came from nearby, and Shu pushed himself up, glad he was able to move. He backed away from the voice, looking around as his vision cleared for a sight of the monster.

_Still in the sky… or keeping himself invisible. Show your face you…_

"Touchimou!" The Demon Mashou's scythes raced for Shu, who leapt into the air. He managed to dodge them, but the sticky web coated the area and he slipped and fell to the ground. He rolled over, aimed, and fired an attack towards where he had heard the Demon Mashou's voice. Gooey web and rock flew up and at the Demon Mashou, who leapt into the air to avoid it all, vanishing once more from sight.

Shu leapt away and hid behind a pile of rubble, allowing their makeshift arena to calm before he started another attack.  _Okay, I got him angry, and at least we're fighting, but I'm no closer to finding my way out. So even if I defeat him… what do I do?_

* * *

 _It's bad enough that I have to babysit this runt of a senshi,_  Rajura thought as he looked down at the mess Shu had created.  _Worse, he's starting to_ annoy _me. Of course, Arago_ is _starting to tick me off. It's bad enough he's reneging on our past agreement. Now he's pushed us to this stupidity. I'd rather just kill this fool and be done with it but…_

 _This is the last straw. When I get out of here, I'm going to… I'm…_  He grit his teeth as he considered fighting Arago, or even just questioning him. Demanding answers.

 _If Shutendoji can manage it, so can I. And since Shutendoji was a fool and a weakling, I should be able to do it. But first things first… beat_ this _fool into a bloody mess. Arago said I can't kill him. Doesn't mean I can't make him_ wish _he were dead…_

* * *

Seiji paused to take a breather. He could see the new shadows demons leering back at him from beyond the globe of light Seiji had to keep up during their prolonged battle. Seiji was in what appeared to be an endless, lightless cavern of some kind, filled with the vermin. They were completely black and moved like they were liquid. Their eyes were pinpricks of red. Their mouths were full of razor-sharp teeth and their arms stretched to grab at him. They hunted him, even in the dark. The light seemed to hurt them, but they were growing more confident, especially as he weakened. He'd already gathered a few cuts and bruises when he let his guard down. The armor had healed some of his wounds, but he was feeling dangerously low in the energy department.

 _I'm not getting anywhere like this. They'll just run me down until I'm out of power and then… This is obviously Anubis' shtick. He's probably watching from nearby, enjoying himself. I can't find any walls or doors and I haven't been able to reach a ceiling. He's probably my best bet out of here. If I could just_ find _him._

He focused and threw another Sai Ko Zan at a mob of the creatures. They screamed as it struck them. In the following silence, Seiji had another short breather. But he could hear more skittering out there in the dark. Ever more shadow creatures, waiting to attack.

 _I can't sense the other Yoroi Senshi, so we must be pretty far apart._  He refused to think about the possibility that the others might be dead. _Even if I knock out Anubis, what if I'm still stuck here? Maybe whatever holds this place together goes berserk. Maybe something_ worse _shows up to fight._

"Still hiding behind lackeys, Anubis?" He called into the darkness. "This is a new low for you. It used to be you would simply hide in the dark and hope to pop out like a ghoul in a haunted house. Now you can't even do your own fighting."

"You sound tired, Seiji," the Demon Mashou replied, "Is your battle getting to you?"

"Come down and fight me yourself and we'll see!"

"You're clearly desperate. I'm fine up here, watching you run around like an idiot."

"If fighting to stay alive on your own against a mob of opponents and killing a large number of them is what you consider idiocy, your actions suddenly make a great deal of sense to me," Seiji said. "Since you'd rather continue working for Arago, even though he'd see you dead in a heartbeat if it would serve him. Oh, wait. He already did that."

He calmed his breathing and focused, and finally rolled aside in time to dodge Anubis' attack. When he stood up, he threw an attack in the direction he assumed Anubis had come from. Seiji didn't expect to hit anything, but the area there lit up and he was on the lookout for Anubis elsewhere. The shadow demons had retreated – no doubt deciding that being between Seiji and Anubis in a fight was a bad place to be - and Seiji felt Anubis come nearer. The green senshi made his bubble of light stronger and expanded it, reaching for the Demon Mashou. He saw the toe of an armored boot and heard a muttered curse before the toe vanished.

"Still scared of me, Anubis?" Seiji asked.

"You've always been too arrogant, Seiji. You'll pay for that."

"Why? You barely even know me. We've both been used by Arago. He'd kill us both if it suited him. In point of fact, he already  _tried._  Who knows? We could be allies."

"Ha! In another  _life_."

"It doesn't have to be."

There was a pause before Anubis replied, "After everything we've done, you would seriously consider taking  _me_  on as an ally, in anything  _other_  than an alliance with Arago, as well?"

"I'm not exactly forgiving you for all the atrocities you've committed. But you could make up for it if you worked against Arago. If you helped us defeat him. If caring for your fellow humans is too much, look at it this way: you won't have to live under Arago's shadow anymore."

"In case you haven't noticed, I  _like_  the dark."

"You like being second-rate? Having to kowtow to a monster like Arago? You like babysitting one of your enemies because Arago doesn't trust you enough to have you free and doing your own thing?"  _Well that's a gamble, but if I fight him here and lose, who knows where I'll end up after I lose consciousness… assuming I even wake up again. Besides, it makes a bit of sense. What easier way to keep the Demon Mashou under lock and key than keep them watching_ us _at the same time? Two birds with one stone. He doesn't want more of them ending up like Shutendoji._

"If you wanted me to beat you to a pulp, Seiji, all you had to do was ask."

Seiji heard the crackling of gathering energy for a new attack and thought,  _That hit a nerve. Now it's time to pay the piper._

* * *

"How has no one noticed this?" Touma stepped carefully closer to the 'tear' without actually stepping into it. It was a dark spot in the center of the brightly lit forest. They could see a thunderstorm on an open field through the tear, but they couldn't hear it at all. "We're near a busy road. People must pass this all the time."

"Most people can't see it," Shutendoji replied, standing to the side and looking on. "Otherwise, the corrupted energies coming from it keep most people and other creatures away."

"Where are all the demons?" Ryo asked, looking around them nervously. "They're just ignoring this?" He felt rather uncomfortable just standing there in his sub-yoroi. Neither he nor Touma were "fully armed", and they were next to an entrance to the demon realm. But Shutendoji said that they should stay unarmored as long as possible, to keep under Arago's radar.

"Scared off, for the most part," Tsuri replied. She stood with her arms crossed by the tear, impatient to leave. "We've been patrolling for some time, keeping the way clear. We've vanquished many them, and recruited others."

"I still think it's weird that demons could be  _recruited_  to guard the human world from attacks," Ryo said.

"Yes, well… We can talk along the way. Come on," Tsuri said as she stepped through the tear. Shutendoji followed and Ryo and Touma followed rather hesitantly, even keeping slightly behind Byakuen. Ryo kept a firm grip on the tiger's fur, and his old friend remained close by his side.

As they passed across the threshold, Ryo stumbled and put his hand to his forehead as a wave of dizziness struck him.

_Fight!_

_Quiet!_

"Ryo, you okay?" Touma touched his shoulder, a look of concern on his face. Thunder boomed around them and rain struck their skin.

"I'm fine… I mean… No, I'm not fine. The armor is reacting to being back here. Like it… like it smelled something appetizing or something that's urging it on. It's strong, but I think I can handle it."

"The demonic energy here is doubtless powering it up a bit," Shutendoji said. "Along with the proximity to Arago." He looked off into the distance. "If I can feel that energy stirring the darkness in  _my_  armor, I cannot imagine what it's doing to the bearer of something like the Shiroi Kikotei." He looked back at Touma." It's best if you stay close. Your armors are connected in a bond that created the Shiroi Kikotei. While it's an amalgamation of many things, that power is aided by your human spirit. It should keep you, well… sane, is the best word, I suppose. Drift too far apart, and the demonic energy could overwhelm you. You've gained a lot of strength, and your armors, like Arago, still want more. So they'll search out for nearby energy resources, and in the demon realm, there's demonic energy floating freely. In this area it's mostly corrupted by Arago. Should your armors absorb it too rapidly, well… At best, you'll just fall unconscious. At worst, you'll die, or turn demonic, like the Demon Mashou."

"Lovely," Tsuri said. "We needed allies who are not only untrained and completely clueless, but who we  _also_ can't trust at our backs."

"These young men have triumphed against difficult odds, Tsuri," Shutendoji said chidingly, "Just give them a chance.  _I_ will continue to trust them. They simply need guides. A proper teacher, to fill in the gaps Kaos never had time for."

"And which we don't exactly have time for, either," Tsuri added. "Our best bet is to be as fast as possible: get in, get your friends, get out, and hope Arago and his cronies don't kill us all before that."

"But we need to defeat Arago, too," Touma said.

"Which you need your friends for, right? To form the Shiroi Kikotei? The only thing that can defeat Arago?"

"Well, last time, we formed it using the shakujo." Touma replied. "Although I still don't understand how that worked…"

"This is wasting time," Tsuri said. "We need to keep moving and make some progress before nightfall." She looked at Ryo sternly and demanded, "Are you all right to keep moving?"

He looked back up at her and nodded firmly, standing straighter.  _I have this under control. And I'll_ keep _it under control._

They left the tear behind. They were on a large yellow plain. In the distance was the familiar sight of Arago's castle. An assortment of armed demons stood nearby. They looked over the newcomers, nodded at Shutendoji and Tsuri, and then turned back to look outward for any new threats. Ryo and Touma eyed them all warily, but passed by without starting anything. It was almost a good thing they were back in the demon realm. The sheer oppressiveness of the place was enough to distract from the oddity of their situation. The storm stopped, and the sun, although it did little to brighten the area, dried them off.

"We have a stake in this world, too," Tsuri replied as they continued towards the castle. She ignored the guards. "Humans, no matter how irritating they can be, are important to this planet, and to us. Their imaginations, their emotions… they help keep us alive." She looked at Shutendoji. "Plus, with someone like  _him_  back in the world, we have people to deal with the dangers of being a demon. Corruption, curses, evil thoughts… Things even  _we_  need help to deal with. We don't tend to police each other, so those with knowledge of the purification arts and an interest in protecting humans from us are useful, especially those with an interest in not  _wiping_ all demons out."

"What?" Ryo looked at Shutendoji.

"It's a simple matter, like what happened to me," the former Demon Mashou replied. "Something like Arago - a monster full of evil thought - gets the ability to corrupt others and encourage them to fight each other and push things towards destruction. Demons are naturally on their own agendas, and they often do terrible things, but they don't typically try to destroy humans as a species. Remove the taint, or simply go for the problem demon, not the entirety of demons, and the problem can be easily solved without mass slaughter."

"Before Arago, the demon realm was simply a plane atop of our own. Like the human realm, it had its problems. Its blood-thirsty warriors. Its crazies. Kaos and his kind kept the man-eaters at bay. Otherwise, they were just people, mainly. Living. Raising their young. Falling in love. Performing music. Inspiring others. Protecting the parts of the world they could. There was even open travel between the worlds. Of course, there were more like Kaos back then, to keep things in order."

"This is all fascinating, really," Touma interrupted, "But are we going to run into any guards or patrols?"

"The problems will start showing up once we're closer to the castle," Tsuri said. "Arago or any of his many servants – Badamon most likely – will sense  _you_  two." She looked pointedly at Ryo and Touma.

"What about the Demon Mashou?" Ryo asked.

"They're idiots," Tsuri replied. "They couldn't sense something if it was right in front of their noses and glowing bright orange."

Touma laughed and Shutendoji coughed. "While that's… They  _are_  a real threat, Tsuri. And they  _can_  – on rare occasion – be good at what they do. They  _did_  capture the other Yoroi Senshi after all. And  _you_  couldn't take them on."

"I never said they  _weren't_  a threat," Tsuri replied. "But Badamon was tracking the Yoroi Senshi. If Arago didn't have that pile of fecal matter working for him,  _these_  fools," she nodded towards Touma and Ryo, "could have stayed hidden for much longer, and we could keep on as we were."

"But wasn't it the enemies we fought that led them to us?" Touma asked.

"Demonic activity occurs across the globe," Tsuri replied, "Especially in this part of it. Sure, it's easier to track someone like you all, when you bear traces of Arago's power, but that's been… complicated lately."

"What do you mean?" Ryo asked.

"The Shiroi Kikotei," Shutendoji said. "It's complicated things. A blending of human spiritual energy and Arago's power, at least partially purified by the latent power Kaos placed in the armors when he created them."

"Does the fact that what you just said makes sense to me on some level concern anyone else?" Ryo asked.

"The armor, from the standpoint of someone looking for you, looks like some of Arago's soldiers are in the middle of a human population with a bunch of monks," Tsuri said. "So, other than feeling a little stronger power-wise than some other parts of the world, it's not that extraordinary. It helps that Arago fought you in this area before, so he's been able to narrow the search, assuming you didn't just head the farthest away from this place as you could; but with all the humans returned to the city and the demons flooding through tears,  _and_  our attempts to keep them back, as well as Shutendoji's activity… There's a reason you've only been found recently. Badamon."

"Who is he?" Touma asked.

"Arago's right-hand henchman," Shutendoji replied. "A conjurer of sorts.  _He's_  the true controller of the Nether Spirits. Sadistic. Obedient to Arago, and he  _loves_  experimentation. He spies on Arago's enemies, and he can even see through the veil between worlds. He had to resort to special means to see you properly, though, which is why it took so long."

"Wonderful," Ryo said. "More enemies to worry about."

"Well we  _are_  planning to take on the whole demon realm, or at least Arago's sizeable chunk of it, without the aid of the others," Touma said. "At least this time, we have some people who are familiar with the inside." He grinned at Shutendoji, who bowed his head. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's good to have you back and on  _our_  side. Kaos never came with us into the demon realm. He basically just tossed us in here and hoped for the best. I know that he did what he could, but… it's almost like having him here. I feel a lot better about all this."

Shutendoji bowed his head. "I am not Kaos. But I will do my best, in his place."

Tsuri snorted and looked at Ryo and Touma. "Shutendoji is powerful, but if Arago attacks, try not to simply hide behind him."

"I think I'll hide behind you, Tsuri," Ryo said.

The demon glanced at him in surprise.

"I think  _you_  could take on Arago easily."

She stared at him for a moment, then laughed and walked ahead, still chuckling.

"I think she likes you," Shutendoji commented. "I haven't heard her laugh in weeks."

"She doesn't seem to have a lot of faith in you," Touma replied.

"No, she simply understands my limits. I am here to help you, not end Arago on my own. That's part of why we never attempted this before now. Kaos might have been able to do it, but not I."

"Will we be able to summon the Shiroi Kikotei to fend off Kayura and the Demon Mashou?" Touma asked. "Because if the other three  _and_  Tsuri couldn't defend themselves against the Demon Mashou… What happens if they try that again against  _us?_  What if they show up together? With Youja?"

"We have to be creative," Shutendoji said. "We shouldn't rely on the Shiroi Kikotei for individual fights. Its attacks can obviously be dodged, and I doubt that Ryo can keep on using it for extended periods. If he collapses and we still have others to face… we could be done for. I doubt we'll be lucky enough to attack Arago directly before running into them, so we need to hold on and survive until that point. Rescue the others and get to him to destroy him forever. We're all trained warriors. We can do this." He smiled at them. "You can do this."

"So basically just listen to instructions from myself or Shutendoji and use that gray matter between your ears and hopefully we won't die," Tsuri said, slowing down to walk next to them again. She was still smiling. "It helps that the Demon Mashou can be dumb as bricks at the best of times. Don't fall for their tricks. Keep a cool head. If the armors chose you, it's because you know how to  _use_  those armors. After a fashion, anyway.  _No one_  is coming to save you. Shutendoji is here to help, not to leap in and solve all your problems for you. You fought Arago and the Demon Mashou before. You should know what's in store."

Ryo's fingers tightened in Byakuen's fur, recalling their earlier battles. Especially…

"Yes," he said, his voice hard. "Yes, we know."

Touma looked at him in surprise, concerned about the darkness in his tone.

"Like I said. Don't worry about me. I'll control the Shiroi Kikotei. We'll get our friends back. We'll destroy Arago. For real this time."


	12. Entering the Castle

"Lord Arago." Badamon drifted towards the throne, ever penitent.

"Badamon. Good news, I hope."

"Interesting news. I have observed the captured Yoroi Senshi as they battle in their prisons and have come to some conclusions on their powers and their connection to the Shiroi Kikotei."

"I love to be reminded of tasks I send my underlings out on, Badamon," Arago drolly replied. "In case I should forget anything."

Badamon swallowed, fighting the urge to vanish. It would only make Arago angrier. "Forgive me, my lord. The Yoroi Senshi exhibit no unusual power. In fact, they seem almost _weaker_ than the Demon Mashou. This is not surprising, given the greater experience of the Demon Mashou, as well as the latter's longer exposure to demonic energy. As there is nothing truly remarkable about them, I have to wonder if anything remarkable is actually required to create the Shiroi Kikotei."

"This does not seem to be valuable information Badamon."

"On its own, no. But I believe that the armors are rather interchangeable. If five of them can summon the Shiroi Kikotei, perhaps _any_ five of the armors could be used to do so. It may simply be a guiding will that pulls them together. According to my investigations, that would be the Rekka armor's bearer, so we just need to gather the Demon Mashou around him and force him to summon it. If the armor is summoned using the Demon Mashou, the extra demonic corruption might enable us to control it. Or at least keep its bearer out of play long enough for me to study it and get better control over it, or even learn how to remove it for your use."

"…So you need the Rekka armor first."

"Yes, my lord. And if five is the required number to summon the armor, either Shutendoji or the Tenku armor need to be nearby."

"And you have no idea how to actually summon it yet?"

"I believe that the Yoroi Senshi summon it when they are in grave danger. Simply lead them into a situation where they might be overwhelmed, and I believe they will summon it. Kayura stated that Shutendoji channeled power to form it the last time, but if we can distract Shutendoji, we should be able to replace his power with the Demon Mashou."

"Have you considered the fact that Shutendoji might keep the Demon Mashou at bay?" Arago replied. "After all, he held off Kayura."

"She went alone, Lord Arago. If she went _with_ the Demon Mashou, I imagine our remaining enemies would be hard-pressed to keep all of them at bay."

"And if this succeeds? If the Shiroi Kikotei is summoned? What happens if your theory fails and the Yoroi Senshi keep control of the armor and blast their way through everything?"

"I strongly believe that will not happen. I will even use the Nether Spirits to further confuse the human. But my lord, we must try. If nothing else, we need to capture the Rekka and Tenku armors to fully harness your power so that you can take over the human realm. On their own, the three rogue armors are unable to summon the Shiroi Kikotei, or combine with the Demon Mashou to form it."

"Kayura reported that Shutendoji, Rekka, and Tenku summoned it rather easily last time," Arago replied. "What happens if they summon it before you and the Demon Mashou can interfere?"

"Yes," Kayura said as she stepped out of the shadows behind the throne. "All they needed was Shutendoji's shakujo and its extra power, and they had the armor to base it on."

"By my calculations," Badamon replied, "It is no easy feat to summon the armor. If you, Kayura, are present to keep Shutendoji distracted, while the Demon Mashou keep the Tenku and Rekka armors busy, there should be no problem. And if there is, well… we'll get to see how the Shiroi Kikotei fares against the three Demon Mashou and you, together."

"You speak as though Kayura is cannon fodder to throw at the Yoroi Senshi, Badamon." Arago's eyes turned a brighter red. "Know your place."

Badamon bowed his hand, reconsidering turning invisible. "Of course, my lord."

"I am up for the challenge, my lord," Kayura said, turning to face Arago and bowing to him. "I'll face the Yoroi Senshi again, even the Shiroi Kikotei. Whatever it takes."

Arago looked at her. "Eager to make up for your earlier failing, eh?"

Badamon lowered his head and smiled.

Kayura's hands tightened into fists. "This time, I know who I am fighting." She looked pointedly at Badamon, who snorted.

"There will be no surprises," Badamon said.

Arago laughed. "Very well. But we'll need to find the wandering fools first. They've vanished from the human realm. Doubtless they're coming after us here, as they did the first time. To rescue their _friends_."

"I'll increase the patrols to find them," Kayura said.

"No. Keep them as they are."

"My Lord?"

"We don't want them to know we're aware of them, yet. Let them think that we haven't discovered their absence and guessed their intentions. It will give them a false sense of security, and it will make things more shocking when we pounce on them."

Kayura bowed her head.

"Badamon," Arago turned to the other demon. "Find a way to remove the necessity of keeping the Demon Mashou as guards, while keeping the Yoroi Senshi caged. I don't want them breaking out and creating problems."

"Of course, Lord."

"And keep an eye out for the Yoroi Senshi. Kayura, you are in charge of this mission. Take the Demon Mashou and bring me back the Shiroi Kikotei." Arago settled back in his throne, a clear dismissal.

His two servants bowed themselves out.

* * *

"We're a long way from the castle," Touma commented as they sat by the fire in their small camp. Ryo was lying down nearby with his head against Byakuen's side, trying to rest up. Tsuri sat a distance away with her back to the fire, glaring at the castle off in the distance. The demon realm was even creepier at night, a feat Touma had not considered possible. "We were right there last time."

"Kaos didn't send you through a tear in the walls between realms," Shutendoji replied, seated across from the senshi. "He was far more powerful than I. I took you by what route I could."

"I'm sorry," Touma said. "It wasn't meant as an insult. I just… how long can the others last if we have to travel so far to get to them?"

"Hopefully the trek won't be too long," Shutendoji replied. "No more than a day or two. We'll have more problems when we face the labyrinth of the castle. It shifts frequently and is filled with Youja. We should be there tomorrow." He eyed Ryo. "Hopefully."

Touma looked at Ryo, who was staring up at the sky. "You okay, buddy?"

"A bit dizzy. This place is awful. I just feel… heavy. But I think I'll be fine otherwise."

"You can take a nap if you want. We'll rest for a short while before we move on." Shutendoji looked at Tsuri. "We'll need it."

"I should go ahead," Tsuri said, standing up.

"What? Why?"

"We're moving too slowly and we're too large a party. I can get in through the labyrinth on my own and find the trapped Yoroi Senshi myself. Then I can quickly guide you to them. Or even free them."

"You're overestimating yourself," Shutendoji replied. "I know you're strong, but even you cannot take the Demon Mashou alone. And who knows what spells are being used to trap the other Yoroi Senshi here?"

"I'm not saying I _will_ free them. But I can help clear your way. They won't find me."

Shutendoji bowed his head. "If you wish to go, then go. I won't stop you."

"Try not to take too long," she said before running on, vanishing into the dark.

"Not much of a team player," Touma said.

"She's not a fan of Arago," Shutendoji replied. "And we remind her of him."

"What?!"

Shutendoji smiled. "It's the armors. They still have some of his power. Plus, Ryo has the Shiroi Kikotei, which is worse than any of the individual armors. She also hates waiting. Demons don't need as much rest as humans. If you weren't here, we'd already be at the castle."

"Sorry for my mortality."

"Don't take it personally. She's risking a lot coming back here and helping us. All my allies are."

Touma looked at the ground. "What happens if we fail?"

"If we're captured or if we die?"

"Either scenario."

"If we fail… I doubt Arago will kill us immediately. Doubtless he will figure out a way to once more subvert the armors to his will, especially the Shiroi Kikotei. He'll send us back to the human world to unleash destruction across the globe. It will be havoc on a level you've never seen. It will make human wars look like child's play."

"And once he rules everything and your world is a broken, bleeding, burning mess of lost and dying souls… Perhaps he'll move on to other worlds."

"Other worlds?"

"Yes. There are others out there, and ways to get there. Their inhabitants typically stay away from us and we from them, but if Arago had enough power and was sufficiently bored, I imagine he would work his way to them and repeat the process over and over into eternity. If we weren't dead at that point, we'd probably be on the front lines. The armors give long life, and being around a constant supply of demonic energy only aids the process. It would be an eternal nightmare."

"That's cheery," Touma said.

"You asked."

"And if we win?"

"If we defeat Arago forever… There will be a lot of work to do. The demon realm may begin to revert to what it used to be. Life will return to this mostly barren place. Changes will doubtless begin in the human realm, as more demons return to the wild."

"Wait, the invasion won't be over?"

"It won't be an invasion. Simply a return to the natural order of things. There are creatures that simply guard parts of the world, like the trees and the mountains and bodies of water. It is how they are. They will not bother humans if humans do not bother them. Of course there are some who will be problems that we'll have to take care of. Now that the armors exist apart from Arago, they should survive his destruction, and their work will not be finished. I may stay here a while to see that things return to normal, but once I am done here, I shall return and help you. I will attempt to find others to train in Kaos' path, and join together the forces he left behind."

"Will there be anyone to replace us?" Touma asked.

Shutendoji raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Not that I believe. The armors go to new bearers after the old are dead. They are not given away. That is why Arago tried to take them by force."

"But we have lives!" Touma demanded. "We have families and school and… we're not some legendary warriors ready to drop all that at a moment's notice for all this! It's summer break now, but after that's over…"

"What would you do with your life after all this?" Shutendoji asked. "After standing in space? Fighting creatures of nightmare? Wielding more power than you've ever imagined? Saved your whole world from destruction?"

"Besides the fact that maybe I've been more scared than awed by all this, there's more than one way to help people."

"You would help more by carrying out the task set before you. Your life is different now, with the armor. It will be even more different when Arago is defeated. You will see."

"So we _will_ have to give up everything for them…"

"No, not everything. Not your families. Not your homes. But I doubt anything else will satisfy. You'll always feel the call."

"Our families have to be supported. Back home you need money to live, which means that you need a job. We can't just subsist on whatever for all eternity."

"As I understand it, you must attend schools to learn a profession. Your armors will still draw the demons to you, and there will be trouble. What will you do when demons attack one of your schools? When you're at work and your co-workers come under fire?"

"You act like we'll have to abandon everything human. What about our homes? They'll come under attack."

"You have to live somewhere. I imagine you'd find a way to protect yourselves at home. It should be easier than it is now, with mostly weaker demons than the ones Arago uses. Stronger demons will simply protect their territories."

"You're talking in circles."

"The only answer I can give you that will satisfy, is that you must wait and see. Would knowing what you will live with this burden forever change your mind about defeating Arago? Perhaps some insight on how to change this will come to you during the upcoming battles. Perhaps the armors will vanish then, and you can return to your mortal existence. I don't know everything Kaos knew, after all."

"Pleasant as all this is," Ryo said, "Could the both of you shut up for a couple minutes so I could fall asleep?"

"Sorry, Ryo."

"Sorry."

* * *

Ryo was better in the morning. He had an easier time walking, although he stayed quiet. The armor often pressured him to summon the Shiroi Kikotei, gravitating towards Shutendoji's bright, powerful aura and the thick air of demonic energy constantly moving around them. Ryo was getting tired of telling it to quiet down, but he did not stop. He knew something bad would happen if he did.

Their trip to the castle's edge was uneventful, but long. The day was already darkening by the time they caught sight of the tall walls. They saw few inhabitants on the journey, and those they did vanished before they came close.

The gates to the castle were open, but guarded. Shutendoji kept walking even after seeing the guards, although Ryo and Touma became more nervous and hesitated. When they realized that their guide was not slowing down, they sped up to catch up with him. Touma walked up to the former Demon Mashou and asked, quietly, "Don't you think we should come up with a plan?"

"We may have to fight our way through. " Shutendoji kept his eyes ahead. "There will be no hiding out here. I will attempt to speak with at least some of them and see if anyone can be converted to our cause. Tsuri may have already come through here. Otherwise… just follow my lead, and say as little as possible."

The guards raised their weapons as the group approached. Byakuen's hackles were up, but he stayed by Ryo's side. They all stopped and Shutendoji bowed his head to them. "Who is in charge here?" he asked.

The two guards glanced at each other, and the one on the right replied, "Dara is in charge of this area now."

"May we speak to him?"

"He does not speak to strangers. Or rebels."

Shutendoji nodded. "I come to make him an offer."

Touma looked further in. He could see a gathering of warriors eyeing them. It didn't look like visitors were a common occurrence for the place. _Wait… there's something powerful approaching. Dammit, if we fight out here, we'll have to take on all these people, too!_

"What kind of offer?" A large demon wearing brown armor and a red helmet with golden spikes approached the gate. On his chest was a green and yellow circle. His eyes glowed green.

Shutendoji looked up at him. "I would offer you the chance to help unseat Arago, Dara. I know he grates on you."

Dara laughed. "You, Shutendoji? You could barely hold off the Nether Spirits! Is your plan to offer me as a sacrifice to get back into Arago's good graces?"

"You know each other?" Touma whispered.

Dara eyed the two senshi. "You made new friends, Shutendoji. How unlike you."

"People change."

Dara turned his gaze back to Shutendoji. "What are you up to, Shutendoji? You can't possibly be planning to overthrow Arago, weak as you are."

"I have power on my side. Power to make Arago tremble. It's why he's set you to look for us if we appear. Or has he not done so?"

Dara looked around at his warriors. "He has so ordered."

"So what will your choice be?"

Dara looked back at his people, who waited patiently for his orders. Ryo and Touma looked over them all as well. There were so many. At first glance, they had only seen the ones that were dressed like Youja, but now it was easy to spot the vast array of fighters there. It was a menacing assembly of fangs, claws, long arms, no arms, tails, many eyes, armor and weapons. Some glowed different colors and others had objects floating around their heads. There was a tension in the air like everyone was holding their breath, waiting.

"You could be master of your own domain again," Shutendoji said into that silence. "No Arago to keep you and your people caged here, fighting battles you care nothing for. None of your people sent off to die in his wars."

"Yes, we would only have to listen to you," Dara replied. "You and your arrogance. You put on one of Arago's precious armors and think you own everyone else, even though you're just another one of his pets with the best leash."

Shutendoji didn't look away from the demon's gaze, but his lips tightened.

"We wouldn't command you," Touma said, stepping forward and drawing everyone's attention. "All we need is to get to Arago, kill him, and you're back on your own again."

Dara eyed him thoughtfully. "More humans coming into our realm. Wonderful."

"Trust me," Ryo said, "We don't like it any more than you do."

Dara looked at him and said, "You feel odd, human. What are you?"

"An ally against Arago," Shutendoji replied before Ryo could answer. "And I still have no answer from you."

Dara turned his gaze back and replied, "Very well. I like the idea of messing with Arago, at the least. He's gone too far lately, ordering me and mine around like dogs at his beck and call. What would you have us do?" A sigh went through the area, like everyone breathed at once.

"Attack him in the areas nearby; keep him distracted while we make our way inward. Move like you're defending us in a different direction, or perhaps multiple directions if you can manage it. Keep them confused and off our trail."

"A fight! But not with Arago himself. A pity. Still, a chance to fight the mindless wraiths and power-mad fools he takes for his foot soldiers. Go then, we'll have your backs." He turned to his people and started ordering them in different directions and arranging them for battle.

Shutendoji led his group onward, keeping his eyes away from the still-curious soldiers. When they were out of the area, he began running, and the others followed suit. "The hunt is on now. We must get away while we can."

Cries sounded behind him as the noise of battle filled the air.

"I'm amazed Arago is keeping it together when so many are willing to turn against him," Ryo said.

"It hasn't been like this," Shutendoji replied. "Most have been too cowed to fight Arago openly. Plus, _before_ I was a Demon Mashou and interested only in serving Arago. I had no interest in usurping his power, and took pleasure in crushing the egos of anyone who felt they could stand up to him. It helps that they know me. Much as they mock, they know I have a sizable power to draw on. And they could sense your power, close as you were. Their diversion will hopefully be good enough to keep Arago and his forces out of our way until we find the others." Shutendoji darted around corners ahead of them.

"You _do_ know your way out of here, right?" Touma asked. "We're not just running in circles?"

"Why don't we just jump up onto the top of the walls and run along up there?" Ryo asked. "It's not that high."

"There are guards up there," Shutendoji replied. "And we'll be easier to spot from a distance. I know my way around because I can sense the presence of the armors and I have a general idea of where we're heading. Once we get closer, Tsuri should be able to find me and we'll rescue the others and deal with things from there."

"So we're going straight to the castle?"

"No. We're going to get a bit closer and find a place to rest. After that, we'll head to the castle. We need all our strength to face Arago, and we may very well be doing that with the next sunrise."

* * *

"I called my father before we left, you know," Touma said. They were hidden in the empty space under building, with an easy lookout post for guards. Most of the ones they had seen were headed to Dara and his mischief, so they had been alone for a while. Shutendoji was lying down to the side and taking a nap. Ryo was seated and leaning back on Byakuen's side. The tiger had his head down and his eyes shut. Touma sat nearby, with his knees up to his chest and his arms crossed over his legs.

"I told him I was okay, but… I had to go do something important. Save people. I might be in danger, but I'd come back. He wasn't happy, but he wished me luck. He told me to be sure to keep my promise, or he'd come find me himself. I called my mother and she said to stay safe."

"I tried to call my father," Ryo said in the ensuing silence. "But he was away or busy. He often is. So I just left him a similar message."

"I'm sorry. At least I got to talk to my parents."

"Well it's not like he'd like what I've been up to, anyway. It would probably remind him of his family too much."

"Your father's family was into this stuff?"

"No, it's… complicated." Ryo went silent and stayed that way.

"All right." Touma looked around, thinking about how to change the subject. "We're here and we could be facing death at any moment and all I can think about is anything but. Home, my friends… They're going to hot springs or traveling or studying or training for sports or going to concerts or shopping… How do I explain that _this_ is what I did for my summer?"

Ryo looked out to the empty path. He smiled. "It's a prolonged camping trip."

Touma blinked and stifled a laugh beneath his hand. "A sightseeing hike!"

"A trip to the zoo."

"A tour of the local shrines, to rediscover our ancestry, or research something for class."

"Meeting the oddest of friends in the oddest of places." Ryo looked pointedly at Shutendoji.

"Good friends," Touma put his hand on Ryo's shoulder, smiling.

Ryo smiled back before the look faded. "Touma, we have to use the armor against Arago again. This time we have to destroy him. With what happened last time… how do we know we'd survive that, even assuming we succeed? What if the armors just take everything from us that we have to give?"

"But we'll have Shutendoji with us, and we're a lot stronger than we used to be."

"Arago is a lot stronger, too. Plus he has Kayura and this Badamon guy. And apparently he's not planning to absorb us this time around, so we won't be fighting him while he's disoriented."

Touma squeezed his friend's shoulder reassuringly. The blue-haired senshi's gaze was hard, but he smiled. "We have to trust in each other. If we lose that, we've already lost. As long as we fight together, I believe that we can pull through."

Ryo bowed his head and smiled lightly. "I… I know, Touma. I believe in everyone, I do."

"Then what's really bothering you?"

"The Shiroi Kikotei. It's… it's different here. The armor is almost humming, like it can't wait to be used. I don't know how it will react if I activate it in here. The first time I did it, I don't remember being in control at all. It just saw Arago as a challenge and took it. Sure, I've gained some control over it since then, but that was in our world. Not here. What if… what if I lose control? Or what if it does the same thing it did back then, but this time… this time I don't… I don't wake up."

"That won't happen!" Touma looked around in alarm, realizing that he'd raised his voice. No guards approached. They seemed to be in the clear. After a while, he looked back at Ryo, who pulled away and leaned back onto Byakuen, shutting his eyes.

"Let's just relax, Touma. Shutendoji was right, earlier. There's no point in worrying about what we can't change and plan on doing anyway now."

"We should set a watch."

"Shutendoji isn't really sleeping, and my armor hasn't been letting me sleep fully since I got here. But I can at least shut my eyes and rest a little. You should do the same."


	13. Prison Break

Tsuri was deep in Arago's castle. She had been sneaking around the place, mostly ignored by the listless guards.

_If Arago weren't so powerful, this would be foolish at best. He's looking for powerful enemies, so he'll ignore people like me who are small enough to be able to just sneak past the skeleton crew of guards he's left behind, while his big players go out in search of the Yoroi Senshi. If I had any more power and was just a bit better at sneaking… well. Arago, your foolishness will do you in._

Right now she was mostly worried about her new companions. She'd stumbled across some old friends – a group of kitsune who enjoyed playing pranks a bit too much – on her way to the palace. They had been messing with some guards in a corner of the labyrinth, but gleefully joined her when they spotted her. She used them as spies and for distractions. Now she recruited them in case of an emergency. They weren't very powerful, but they were good for a couple things, like looking out for guards. They said they were better at sneaking around than she was, and they probably were, what with their significantly smaller size and unique talents. But they did not make a show of it as they made fun of each other and danced on the edge of the guards' vision like fools.

But with their help, Tsuri had easily found the trapped Yoroi Senshi. Not that it did her any good. She was safely hidden in a dark corner of the ceiling of a large chamber. The room was lit by torchlight that did not reach her. At the center of the room was a group of people near what looked like a half-globe on a dais of some kind, an orange senshi standing in place, and a small black hole in the ground the others steered clear of.

 _What, is this a group whining session?_ Tsuri glared at the gathered warriors: Lady Kayura and the three remaining Demon Mashou, the latter of which were clearly none-too-happy to see the former. _Can't you all just… go away for a minute or something? Honestly…_

* * *

"-don't make his orders for him," Kayura continued. "If you have a problem, go take them up with Lord Arago yourself!" She looked dispassionately at the others, annoyed at having to come down here and grab them herself. Seeing them again after so long an absence allowed her to see how much they had wasted their time playing for superiority amongst themselves. They were out of practice and weak. No doubt that was why the Yoroi Senshi had been such a problem.

_If they had been at the Front with me, the Shiroi Kikotei would be in Arago's hands by now and none of this would be an issue._

Despite their weakness, they seemed stronger since she saw them before they went to capture the Yoroi Senshi. _Perhaps they gain power through torture. Wonderful._

Perhaps _that_ was her main problem with them. Like Arago and Badamon, they were sadists deep at heart. They were not as bad as Arago or Badamon – she had seen them in moments when they remembered honor – but often jockeyed to get close. Kayura herself loved taunting her enemies, but that was all just part of combat! If she had to rid the world of someone, surely she deserved the opportunity to get to know them a little. And the more they held her interest, the better the battle. After so many, they got a little repetitive…

* * *

Naaza, annoyed that Arago had sent Kayura to call them away like naughty children, still had no comeback to her taunts. Like his comrades, he wanted to refuse her. He also did not like the idea of being treated like a pawn to summon the Shiroi Kikotei, rather than…

 _Rather than what?_ The things Arago had promised so long ago: power and respect, everything he ever wanted... They seemed as distant as a fading dream. Naaza's reasons for remaining in Arago's service were a mystery rather than something clear he could hold onto for support.

 _But it doesn't matter._ He grit his teeth and looked at the other Demon Mashou. "The senshi are helpless as they are. And we must do as Arago commands."

The others looked like they did not want to agree with him, but they nodded and all followed Kayura, who called the Nether Spirits to take over the place. Then they were gone.

* * *

Tsuri glared at the specters. _Of course…_ She eyed the spot where the senshi lay. She didn't know if one of them was trapped in the half-globe or if the half-globe was the key to some spell to hide the others, but she knew about that hole in the ground. It made her skin crawl. This _was_ the right place. But the Nether Spirits were a nuisance.

"We're not gonna fight the Spirits, Tsuri," Akiko commented from behind her. She was the oldest, and led her siblings in their various efforts. She was larger than the others and had purple streaks in her orange fur.

Tsuri nodded. "It's not like I wasn't expecting that." She glanced back at them all, quieter now with the Nether Spirits out. She smiled encouragingly. "But I need someone to distract the guards outside so that when _I_ take care of the Spirits, the guards don't run and get Kayura and the Demon Mashou back here to kill me."

"You can deal with the Spirits?" Sounds of awe filled the crawlspace, and Tsuri shook her head.

"No… but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I can wake the Senshi up to deal with them. All I need is some time. Can you help me get it?"

They still looked concerned. "Couldn't you just wait for your friends, or go back and find them?"

"Kayura and the Demon Mashou are heading for them. With my luck, I'd be discovered or end up leading their party straight to my friends. Worse luck, I end up coming too late to help. And then I have to break _those_ poor fools," she gestured with her head to the chamber and its prisoners, hidden by the trails of the circling Spirits, "Out on my own, _still_ , and hope that Kayura and the Demon Mashou don't show up to stop me. But if I break them out _now_ , we can meet Kayura and the Demon Mashou halfway. At least we'll stand a chance of, well… something. Better chances than we'd have if I waited." She let them digest all that.

Akiko nodded. "Sure. We'll get you your time. Try to stay alive, though." She pulled her siblings away, leaving Tsuri in relative quiet.

She waited a moment to give them time to attract the attention of the guards, and then turned back to the chamber below. She removed a dark black pouch from her belt, opened it, poured some of its contents onto her palm, and blew the dark green seeds out into the room. The Nether Spirits' winds picked up the seeds and scattered them across the chamber, just as she hoped. The seeds' initial growth of small vines went unnoticed, but as they grew bigger the Spirits saw and became alarmed. The large and steadily larger vines refused the Nether Spirits' attempts at control, and simply drank in the energy of the spells thrown at them. The energy made the plants grow taller and thicker and as they grew they wrapped their long branches around Spirits that were too slow for escape.

Tsuri used her powers to maneuver the plants towards the half-globe resting on the floor. A small green limb reached out, pushed against the glass, cracked and then shattered it.

Shin appeared in the air over the glass, falling down to crush it underneath him.

* * *

"Ahhh!" Everything hurt, but he was no longer staring into brightness and sand. This place was even dim and there was nothing striking his eyes. He turned to see a rather bizarre sight to his left. What looked like giant plants were attacking something – Nether Spirits? He saw the Spirits occasionally break free and attempt to fight back. He also saw Shu standing still, seemingly oblivious to it all. Shin sat up and ran up to the other senshi. "Shu!" He stood in front of his friend and saw that the other boy's eyes were blank, as if he saw right through Shin.

Shin couldn't really slap Shu while the other senshi had his helmet fully on, but he tried nonetheless. The effort left him with a bruised hand, and Shu none the more awake. He looked around, not looking the way things were shaping up. A Nether Spirit raced for him, but Shin called a Cho Ryu Ha, smashing through the Spirit and several others. The water doused Shu, as well, and knocked him to the ground. The orange senshi almost immediately sputtered awake.

"Shin! For crying out loud, do I look like a demon?!"

Shin knocked aside another enemy and replied with a smile, "Glad to see that you're awake, Shu."

Tsuri helped the orange senshi up, surprising him when he saw who was doing so. He instantly knocked her hands aside and backed up, demanding, "Who are you?" _Demon…_

"Someone trying to help." She ducked as a Nether Spirit ran for her head. A limb of one of the plants reached over to cover her protectively.

Shu looked around, took stock of the remaining Nether Spirits and raised his sansetsukon. He helped Shin clear the room, although the plants also fought a good fight.

When all the Spirits were gone, Tsuri crept out of her cover and stood up, checking to make sure there really was nothing left to worry about.

"Who are you, really?" Shin asked, eyeing her skeptically.

"Tsuri. A friend of Shutendoji's. I came to break you out so we can meet up with the other Yoroi Senshi and kill Arago."

The pair simply stared at her.

"…Shutendoji?" Shin asked. "He's alive?"

"When last I saw him," she replied. "Which was about a day ago. He's with your friends, Ryo and Touma."

"They're here?" Shin frowned and looked around them. "Actually, where are we? It's the Demon Realm but I don't recognize it. Although it's not like I'm an expert on the place, anyway…"

"Deep in Arago's castle," Tsuri replied. She looked at a small hole in the ground nearby. "Maybe to keep you hidden, behind the regular guards. Or maybe because of that." She pointed at the hole.

The two senshi eyed where she pointed.

"What is it?" Shu asked.

Tsuri swallowed, trying not to show her fear too much. "A prison. One of the worst. It's completely lightless, gnaws at your lifeforce, and the guards… There are rumors that it's filled with nightmares. Demons formed largely of malevolent energy that took over smaller demons and made them something worse. They can see in the dark and will eat just about anything. They like tormenting their prey. Some of them can fly. Some just climb walls."

"If the point was to keep us trapped," Shu replied, "that would be the perfect place for Seiji, since I don't see him here with us. But I'm surprised he hasn't broken out by now, since bringing light to dark places is kind of his thing."

"It's a pit. Goes deep down. And the magic of the place eats light. Plus, the Demon Mashou have been guarding you, keeping you from leaving."

"Naaza baited me the entire time I was trapped wherever I was," Shin said.

"Rajura did the same to me," Shu replied.

"If Shutendoji is out there helping us, then Anubis was probably keeping Seiji out of it," Shin continued.

"Well, since Kayura took them away-" Tsuri said.

"Who's Kayura?" Shin interrupted.

"Lady Kayura is one of Arago's favorites," she replied. "Arguably, she's more powerful than the Demon Mashou. She's been leading Arago's war against other powerful demon warlords, so even though her raw power might not be as great as one of you, her skill is far superior. I overheard them talking earlier. They're planning to force a formation of the Shiroi Kikotei using the Demon Mashou in the place of you three. The extra demonic energy will either corrupt the armor to the point that they could use it or… something. The point is that it's not good, and the other three need your help to fight the four of them off. Especially if all that gets accomplished is Kayura and the Demon Mashou manage to capture or kill the others." She sighed. "This just gets worse and worse. I knew this whole thing was a bad idea."

"So we need to get Seiji out and go rescue the others," Shu said. "Fine. How do we get Seiji out?"

Tsuri looked thoughtfully at him. "What's your power set like?"

"Me? I can make earthquakes and… break rocks…"

"Well when I want to pull the walls down, I'll call on you. Never mind." She sighed and pulled her seed pouch out again. She poured more seeds onto her hand and blew them towards the hole. After a moment, plants grew, snaking through the wrist-wide hole. Seconds more, and the plants cracked the floor around the hole, broke through the stone and revealed dark space beneath as blocks of stone fell down. The plants pulled further and further out, making the hole wide enough for a few people to pass through. When they stopped, they had wrapped around the outer jagged edges, forming a green wreath.

Shu stepped forward and looked down. It was pitch black, even with the torchlight. Tsuri had one of her plants grab a lit torch for her. She walked up to the hole and dropped it inside. They watched the light fall for a few moments before it vanished completely.

"We should have been able to see it longer," Shin said. "That's not possible."

"Maybe something swallowed it?" Shu offered.

"Not much better," Shin replied. He looked over at Tsuri, who was trembling. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She breathed heavily, trying to calm herself. "This is the place they warn us about. Arago sends all the enemies he can't subvert otherwise down there. A lot of my friends. They never get out. They never come back. It's a place demons go to die."

Shu laughed. "Sounds like a great place to go, then."

She looked at him and shook her head. "You're getting the wrong impression. It's a place even _demons_ fear. Not because humans are better off there. But because it's just an awful place."

"Why would Arago trap other demons?" Shin asked. "I thought he could just kill or enslave anyone else."

"He thrives on fear. When our world was cut off from the Human Realm, the fear of his own people was one of the ways he survived. Plus, some people down there are pretty useful, and there's the chance that being in there could cut them down to size for him to use later. And he just enjoys messing with people, which is also something he's been deprived of for some time. He found a way to make do with that awful place down there. I've also heard that Badamon uses it as a storage facility for experiments."

"Who's Badamon?" Shu asked.

"Arago's spellcaster, and the brains behind many of his operations. It's said that he uses some of the prisoners when he runs out of people up here. Investigates how their powers work, or just tortures them when he's bored." She glared down at the hole. "It's an evil place. And when a spirit says that, I can promise you that it really does mean something."

"It's just a dark hole in the ground with some nasty guards," Shu replied. "I'm not afraid of the dark, and we've been fighting monsters since this whole mess started. Besides, I'll be happy to finally hit something after Rajura's tricks. So are we going or not?"

"Shu…" The blue senshi glared at his friend.

"It's a good attitude, at least," Tsuri allowed. "Brash and stupid, but okay. At least you'll have your self-respect when you die in agony." She shook herself and looked at them both. "Can either of you fly?"

"No…" Shin glanced at Shu, who shrugged.

"That's Touma's specialty."

"Oh well. The old fashioned way, then. My plants will carry us down. I understand that you can sense each other. You'll have to help guide me so that we go in the right direction. I don't know what the inside is like." She looked down at the large green plants. They began to reach down into the hole while others anchored themselves into the walls. Three green limbs reached out to Tsuri and the Yoroi Senshi and wrapped around their waists. Shin and Shu began to struggle.

"Calm down," Tsuri ordered. "Unless you'd rather just fall and hope you don't break your legs or get squished into a pancake at the bottom."

The senshi calmed and the plant picked them up off the floor and carried them down into the darkness. They were all quiet as they descended further and further from the light. The place smelled rank and Shin tried not to gag. There was little sound: rubble falling away into the darkness, a few quickly silenced whimpers. And the sound of flapping, like wings.

Shu struck out with his sansetsukon at the darkness, smacking aside an enemy who flew at him. Shin dodged another attack and struck out at enemies of his own.

"What happens if they attack the ride down?" Shu asked as he struggled with another demon intent on biting through his arm.

"They'll burn up after a bite or two," Tsuri replied, hidden safely among some plant limbs from attack, "and the plant is too strong to be knocked aside. I'm having it spread its roots out to stay stronger in case we find something nastier than these things."

"Will we have to fight them all the way down?" Shin asked.

"Most likely. Although I'd expect them to swarm more. Maybe your friend down there is too much of a distraction."

"Great. Just what we need, more of these things."

Tsuri said nothing in reply. _This place is bad, yeah. A pitch black hole with monsters in it, just like the human said. But it's not nearly as bad as the rumors said. The power in this place has weakened, like someone's been punching at it or something. It's still depressing and draining, but it's not all that oppressive._

She stopped the plant's movement. Two enemies ran headfirst into the plant, knocked themselves out, and fell below.

"What's going on?" Shin asked. "Why did we stop?"

Tsuri stared into the darkness straight ahead. _We're closer to the cells than I thought. And that one…_ She grabbed a single seed from her bag and tossed it into the darkness ahead. She couldn't see, but she felt it attach to the wall and begin to grow. Then she let the plant continue carrying them down. "Just thinking. Conserve your strength. There might be worse at the bottom, especially if they're focusing on your friend."

 _That's easier said than done,_ Shin thought as he continued to fight. He'd been hit on the side of the head twice now and nearly dropped his yari three times after the monsters pulled at it. Whatever they were was big, strong, and hungry, with very sharp claws. Shin's armor was doubtless covered in scratches by now. _I hope they aren't poisonous. I don't know if they can bite through my armor, but I don't know what'll happen if they keep trying like this. And with opponents I can't see… Glad I can at least sense them._ It was difficult to rely strictly on what he could sense, rather than what he could see. Touma would doubtless be proud of the crash course in their newfound skill. _I'll be better than he is after all this practice._ He wondered about their newfound companion. A demon who acted like she could be trusted. Who tried to help them. He planned to keep an eye on her.

Going down was long and slow. The place lived up to its reputation.

"We're getting closer," Shin said during a brief respite. "He's still pretty far, but I can sense him now."

"Are we heading in the right direction?"

"So far as I can tell."

Tsuri looked down. After a time she could see a pinprick of light far below. It became larger as they slowly descended. _This is one stupidly deep hole. Who did Arago set to digging this place out? Demonic maggots?_

Shu called out, "I can sense him, too." He looked down and spotted the bubble of light below. It flickered every now and then and the sound of snarling filled the air and grew louder as they neared.

"Seiji!" Shin called down. The bubble brightened and he could see the familiar green armored form of his friend. He smiled.

Tsuri looked on in surprise as the Yoroi Senshi began to glow orange and blue, like their armors. They freed themselves from the plant and leapt down to meet with their comrade, landing in the bubble of light. She saw a green glow below join with them.

 _I'll say this for Shiten,_ she thought. _He sure can pick em._

Shu looked Seiji over curiously. The other senshi looked tired. He had clearly been through a lot. There were smoldering demon corpses nearby. Shu was trying to ignore them. He could see them clearly in the light cast by Seiji, and what he saw was rather unpleasant.

_Why do I feel so much stronger now? My arm was ready to fall off after that descent. Now I feel like I could take Rajura on all by myself._

Seiji smiled. "It's good to see you. I was getting worried."

Shin smiled as well. "So were we, with how deep this place is."

"How did you get down here?"

Shin turned and pointed up to the plant that had come to a stop just within the light bubble. Tsuri dropped down within the light, blinking and shading her eyes after the long darkness.

Seiji frowned. "A… giant plant and a _demon_?"

"She says that she's Shutendoji's friend," Shin replied, "She also says that he's still alive. Ryo and Touma are with him. We're in Arago's castle right now, and they're headed here to rescue us and take him down. Unfortunately, another powerful demon named Kayura and the Demon Mashou are headed for them to try and form the Shiroi Kikotei using those five armors, then steal the Shiroi Kikotei for Arago."

"The name is Tsuri, by the way," the demon replied. "Now are we leaving any time soon?"

"Why trust her?" Seiji said. "She's a _demon_."

"Yes, we know," Shu said.

Shin gave him a look and continued, "She broke us out of our prison cells, and she risked her life to come down here with us and get you. Plus, her story sounds too ridiculous to be something the Demon Mashou can come up with."

"And what choice do we have anyway?" Shu asked. "She got us out of wherever we were, and got us down here. Let's get back up to the top and get out of this place. We can figure things out after that."

Seiji looked at their conveyance doubtfully. "Seems like a lot of trust to place in a stranger."

"You can stay down here if you want, you know," Tsuri said. "I have places to be. Make up your mind: stay or go." She hopped back up onto the plant.

Shin looked at Seiji. "Well? There's more fighting. But I think we should trust her."

Seiji sighed and shook his head. "Isn't there always more fighting? We should go. These monsters will start regrouping in a bit." He followed the others up to the plant, their armors still glowing.

On the trip back up, the three conferred a little, updating each other on events during their capture. It helped Seiji get over the weirdness of the plant. They were attacked by fewer monsters on the way up. The extra light Seiji cast along with the glowing armors was a major turn-off to whatever lurked in the dark.

"Why are the armors glowing?" Tsuri asked as they moved up.

"I don't know," Seiji replied. "They respond to each other. Maybe they're just happy to be close again. Things have changed since we were last in the Demon Realm. Maybe it's reacting to that. You should ask Touma when we get back to him."

Tsuri laughed. "Ah. He's the one with the smarts."

"Some of the time, yeah," Shu replied.

Seiji eyed his friend curiously. In the light he could see Shu's face clearly, and when Tsuri looked at him to see what he meant, he blushed and turned away.

 _Of all the stupid…_ Seiji thought before he was attacked by yet another guard.

The plant stopped again on the way back up, and with all the extra light they could clearly see the cells along the walls. Demons of all shapes and shades reached out for the light. Cries resounded in the darkness. Pleas for light and freedom.

At the cell Tsuri had marked she directed the plant to break into the wall and allow her a place to walk near the bars. She stepped up to them and called, "Utako!"

A large red demon stepped out of the darkness of the cell up to the bars. She was three whole heads taller than Tsuri, had long curly black hair and wore rags for clothing. Her eyes were dark yellow. She looked down at them with a frown. "Come to pay a visit, Tsuri? Or is this just another hallucination?"

Tsuri smiled. "No, old friend. I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Nor I you. How long have I been here?"

Tsuri's expression grew sad. "112 years."

Utako shook her head with a sad smile. "It felt like longer." She looked past the other demon to the Yoroi Senshi, who were eyeing her curiously. "Friends?" she asked.

"Yes," Tsuri replied. "Powerful friends. We're planning to take down Arago."

"…You're mad."

Tsuri leaned in. "I know we can do it, Utako. I've seen their power with my own eyes. Have you not felt the green one's power far below?"

"I felt… something, and something has definitely weakened the strength of this place. Many of us have been moving a great deal more than we're used to. The guards have been less than constant in their watches."

"There are two others in the group that aren't here," Tsuri said. "Plus many of our own people in a network on the outside. And even Shutendoji works with us now."

Utako pushed back from the cell bars. "I knew this was a joke! Working with a Demon Mashou? Arago has ensorcelled you to taunt me."

"No! He's on our side! He's no longer a Demon Mashou, and hates Arago just as much as we hate Arago. He's saved my life twice now, and risked it for others. He's working his way to the castle now to fight Arago."

Utako looked at her coolly. "What do you want from me Tsuri?"

"To free you! We have a chance now! All the Demon Mashou are off on another mission, and Badamon and Arago are holed up in the central part of the castle! If you can rally everyone here together for a major breakout, Arago will be all the more distracted, which will help us to destroy him. Those that escape can join our ranks and help in his defeat."

"You act like there is no chance of losing to him," Utako commented. "There is always a chance for failure."

Tsuri frowned at her friend. "And you act like failure is already accomplished. You used to love battle! You leapt into fights, no matter the cause, for inspiration, for fun, to support your comrades. Has this prison truly defeated even you?"

Utako sighed. "You have never been in a prison, Tsuri. You do not know what it is like. Many a sleepless night, praying the guards do not enter your cell and rip you apart. Almost wishing ill fates on your neighbors to spare you another night for life. Then almost wishing that they _would_ come to your cell, to give you peace from this miserable, dark place. The hunger, the thirst the boredom… The lack of light. Hearing others die near and far away. Screams cut off and snarls and the crunching of bones left behind. It is hard, even on a strong spirit."

"There is no need for more sorrow," Tsuri said, reaching out for her friend. "Come with us. Return home. Help us take back our world."

Utako looked at her without saying anything.

Seiji had been listening to their talk while watching the darkness where the monsters were hiding. He turned entirely away from the cells to face what felt like a very _large_ force. "Shin! Shu! Get ready!"

"Kuso! Are they all attacking at once?!" Shin called.

"Good!" Shu said. "We can get rid of em all faster that way."

"Or be overwhelmed faster," Seiji replied, hoping Shu would get the hint and be quiet. He had to focus. Trapped in the arms of the plant, he had difficulty maneuvering. He knew that it was a long way down, but they _would_ be overwhelmed if they continued to attack as they were and simply waited for their enemies to approach. And if any of the Yoroi Senshi used their powers while on the plant, they might break the thing and plummet to their deaths anyway.

 _We have no choice. We have to jump._ He didn't necessarily consider that he chose to protect the demons. He was aware that it was part of the reasoning behind his actions. Any of his attacks might rebound on the cells. But he also didn't want to die down here, and if they didn't do this now, they were never getting out.

"Shin, Shu! Jump! Attack them in the air!"

Tsuri turned in shock at the cry. Shin swallowed and prepared himself.

Shu stared at the green senshi in shock and started to give an angry retort when the green senshi leapt out into the darkness, followed shortly by Shin. The lone senshi glared after them, knowing it would be stupid to simply jump. He couldn't use his powers in the air.

Utako smiled. "Well then. This should be interesting."

The cells decorated the entire wall, and most of them had only seen the lights distantly. Now they watched as the large (or small, depending on their vantage point) lights flew into the void and lit up the area with a great brightness. Screams of dying demons filled the air. Water, something the demons had seen in only tiny amounts in years, rushed through the void and splashed harmlessly into many cells, startling cries of praise. A few stragglers escaped Shin and Seiji's onslaught and Shu caught them before they could do any damage, knocking them back into the void.

The air cleared and the pair in the air were noticeably falling when the plant caught them, mostly knocking the wind out of them.

"Idiots!" Tsuri called. "What were you trying to do? Get yourselves killed?"

"You're welcome," Seiji replied. "And thanks for the catch."

Tsuri snorted and carried them back to Utako's cell. It was only then that the group realized that the sound of cheering was filling the air. When they returned to the cell, Utako stood by the bars with a grin on her face.

"Now _that_ is what I'm talking about!" She looked fondly at the Yoroi Senshi. "Friends indeed. Perhaps we _do_ have a chance at this." She looked at Tsuri. "Very well. You and your friends will have to keep the guards at bay while the rest of us break out. Will your plant hold me? I'll need a speech to rally them all together."

Tsuri smiled. "Yes, of course. Do you need help?"

Utako shook her head. "No. Badamon was wily when he made this prison. He knew that simple stone and metal could not hold any of us. It was the fear that kept us here. Before I had adjusted to life here, I made plans to get out, but gave them up as time passed. Now we can put them into action." She looked up and called, "Fusa! Fukuko! You still alive?"

Two soft replies came down from above. "Yes, Utako. We still live."

"It's time, you two. Start breaking people out. But do it quietly and encourage quiet for a little. I'm going to say something to everyone."

"Yes Utako." The sound of breaking metal began to fill the air, followed by the crunch of claws traveling across the stone between cells.

"I miss my club," Utako said sadly. She punched her hand against the bars a number of times and quickly formed a hole of her own. Once it was big enough, she stepped through onto a green limb Tsuri created for her.

"Aren't you going to run out of seeds or whatever it is you're using?" Shu asked as Utako maneuvered herself into a good position.

Tsuri smiled. "The bag is connected to a stash I keep in a safe place. The source is very large, and despite what you've seen, I am pretty good with conservation of my resources. Now hush."

Utako, with a good stance, began to speak. "Fellow prisoners!" The calls and cheers quieted at the sound of her voice. "Too long have we languished in the dark! Arago thinks that he has beaten us, and by remaining here, we only prove him correct! Before, the guardians of this place kept us in fear. Now, we have powerful friends to keep _them_ in fear." She glanced briefly at the Yoroi Senshi. "Now we have a chance to truly escape from this place and take revenge on Arago for all the things he has done to us and our families. For the years he has stolen from us, and the friends and loved ones he has murdered and enslaved. His arrogance ends here. You will be freed! But once we escape from here, we cannot simply go our separate ways! We must stick together and attack Arago's forces and aid our allies on the outside in his defeat! Are you with me?"

Cheers resounded at her cry and Utako smiled.

"Then let's begin!


	14. Facing the Enemy

"Is it just me, or is this area suspiciously empty?" Touma asked as he looked down the empty corridor behind them. The group had not come across any new guards in some time and those they saw were few and far between. They were far beyond the fighting and the area was quiet, save for the occasional sound of heavily armored feet tramping on the ground.

"I'd say yes, but it just sounds paranoid," Ryo replied. His left hand rested on Byakuen's shoulder, and the two were crouching between Touma and Shutendoji. A precaution he disliked immensely, but the other two had insisted on it. Shutendoji's senses were a lot stronger and he knew the area, so he was their guide. Touma had their backs. And Ryo was stuck between them, where the others could protect him.

 _I'm not a weakling…_ He understood the importance of not losing the Shiroi Kikotei and that the other two were concerned about the way he was reacting to being in the Demon Realm. But he _had_ improved as he adjusted. The other two ignored this and insisted on what they had going.

"They _could_ all be focusing on Dara," Shutendoji said. "Which could mean a number of things. With their forces focused, Dara's distraction might not last as long as I thought."

"He didn't have _that_ big of a force," Touma commented as they got up and moved to another corner. "It's not like we should have expected much from him, especially since he apparently decided to go for an all-out assault rather than sneak attacks."

"Dara has connections," Shutendoji replied. "Loyalty from other demons in this place. He would get them to help. Plus, some of his allies are better at hiding than you are at finding them, so don't underestimate their numbers or abilities. Dara's a lot smarter than many of Arago's commanders, which is why he guards one of the gates into here, and his forces reflect that. They're well-trained and strong. You would know that if you had been in this world for more than a short time. Shiroi Kikotei and magical armor or no, you're pretty much babes in the wood."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Touma replied.

"I live to serve." Shutendoji frowned and put a hand up to stop them from moving on.

"What's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"Company."

Ryo looked up in surprise. "Demon Mashou… They're moving fast."

"Kayura's with them," Shutendoji said. "They're probably looking for us."

"Well it's only what they've been doing since we came to Tokyo," Ryo muttered.

"They're going to find us," Shutendoji said, ignoring the comment. "There's nowhere to hide in this place. We've passed the more populated sections. It's just guards and paths and some open areas. We can't outrun them. All we can do is pick where we fight."

"Surrender already?" Ryo asked. "I mean… we've got Byakuen, we've got Touma. You can move faster than we can. I'll just get on Byakuen and I can keep up with you both."

Shutendoji smiled. "It's a nice idea, Ryo. But it won't be enough. Besides, this battle was going to happen anyway. We have to deal with my former comrades."

"Well if you can pull off that trick you did before and help summon the Shiroi Kikotei before they kill us, we should be fine," Touma added.

"It's not something we should rely on," Shutendoji said. "I don't really know how I did it before."

"Well we don't have a lot of options," Ryo said. "And I can't help noticing that we're talking and talking and no closer to any other plan." _They're getting closer._

Shutendoji began moving again, leading them in a different direction. They soon picked up their former pace. "Well if we _can_ choose _where_ we fight..."

"Someplace open would be nice," Touma said. "Not closed in like the maze."

"That's where we're headed," Shutendoji replied.

"We could be lucky…" Ryo offered. "Maybe they won't notice us. They could just be after Dara or something."

"Since when are _we_ lucky?" Touma asked.

"I was trying to be optimistic for a change," Ryo replied.

Touma laughed. "Poor timing."

Several turnings later and they ran into a large open space. A river of blue-green water ran through the middle of the area and went underground when it hit the walls of the labyrinth. A small red bridge connected their side to the section on the other side of river. Trees dotted the edges. On the far side from where the trio stood, three exits were visible.

"This isn't weird or anything," Touma said, looking around.

"There are a number of these scattered around the labyrinth," Shutendoji said. "It's a good place for training. Some demons come here to relax."

"In the middle of Arago's castle?" Ryo asked, aghast.

"Demons relax?" Touma said.

"Here of all places," Shutendoji answered. "Where relaxation is needed most." He looked around. "I'd say we should keep the wall at our backs, but that seems a bit redundant in this situation. Try not to fall in the water."

"Nooo," Ryo said, "I _never_ would have thought of that!"

Touma lightly punched his shoulder. "Stop taunting the guy. He's more of a badass than you are without the Shiroi Kikotei."

"Hey! I agree with you, but I resent the comment!"

"For people who may very well die in the next few minutes," Shutendoji said, "You're rather silly." He still smiled.

Touma and Ryo summoned their armors and prepared their weapons. Ryo smiled. "We can mess around because we're about to die and it's melting Touma's brain. I _have_ to take care of the poor guy."

"I can shoot you from a distance, you know," Touma said. "Doesn't take me as long as you to attack."

"Then let's see who can down a Demon Mashou first," Ryo said.

"You're on."

"They're here," Shutendoji added. _It's refreshing to be around people again, especially kids. They act tough, but that's all they really are. Which makes all of this a lot harder… Young people shouldn't have to go through with something like this._ He remembered his life before Arago had come into it. He'd been brash and that brashness had made him fall right into Arago's claws.

"You know," Touma said quietly as they watched their enemies approach, "Maybe we should summon the Shiroi Kikotei beforehand and just get rid of them before they have time to prepare."

"I want to talk to them first," Shutendoji replied. "There's a chance we could convince them to change sides."

"They're not all like you, Shutendoji," Touma said. "It might not be possible for them to-"

"You barely knew me before Kaos helped me remember who I am," Shutendoji interrupted. "You don't know what I went through. What my life was like before Arago made me one of his servants. And you don't really know _them_. There's always hope."

Touma aimed an arrow at Kayura. "I fail to see any at this point."

"Just let me take the lead, all right?" Shutendoji stepped forward.

* * *

Kayura landed on the ground near the opposite wall from their opponents. She smiled as she looked over the group. _Well this was easier than I thought it would be. They're all gathered together, waiting for us._

The three Demon Mashou landed nearby. Anubis spotted Shutendoji and narrowed his eyes. "So the traitor returned after all."

Naaza smiled. "Good. I wanted to kill him myself…"

Rajura laughed. "Please go after him, then. He doesn't have Kaos' full power. Maybe you could take him."

"No," Kayura commanded. "You'll all go after him. I'll take the two Yoroi Senshi. Just be ready for when they summon the white armor."

Anubis glared at her, but waved his hand to the other two Demon Mashou. They headed towards Shutendoji while Kayura focused her attention on Ryo and Touma.

"We don't have to fight!" Shutendoji called. "Arago is tricking you! He's using you for his own gain!"

"Of course he is," Kayura replied. "That's why we're his servants and he's the ruler." She unsheathed her sai, leapt into the air and yelled "Ran Sei Zan!" The Yoroi Senshi, Byakuen and Shutendoji leapt out of the way. Touma landed atop the wall behind them and fired arrows at her as she fell. She knocked them aside, landed, and ran at Ryo, cutting down at him with her sai. Ryo barely managed to block her. She leapt backward as Touma continued to fire at her.

Shutendoji stopped a short distance away and called, "Come to your senses!" to the Demon Mashou as they circled him. He glanced at the two Yoroi Senshi. _They're trying to separate us. It'll be easier to take us out that way._ He cast a shield around himself, knowing that it would frustrate his attackers but also keep his powers from harming them.

Naaza laughed. "Hiding, Shutendoji? Too much of a coward to face your former comrades after what you've done?" He raised his swords and lashed out with a Ja Ga Ken Musetsu Orochi. The whip struck at the bubble with no effect. Shutendoji stared calmly back at him.

"I'm not afraid, Naaza. But I won't simply stand down and die like you expect me to. Come to your senses. You're human! You know better than this!"

"Trying to make us turn traitor like you did, Shutendoji?" Anubis asked. "It won't work!" He raised his no-dachi and cried, "Koku Rou Ken Ankoku Cho Uhigiri!" Suffocating darkness washed over the bubble, engulfing Shutendoji entirely. Anubis lowered his weapon with a smile. "Ridiculous…"

Rajura surveyed the area and stepped carefully back.

The darkness burst outward, knocking the Demon Mashou backward.

"Anubis you idiot!" Naaza yelled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Who do you think you're attacking?"

"That wasn't him," Rajura said, landing safely atop a wall after a prudent leap backwards. "You idiots underestimated Shutendoji." He watched, rather unsurprised, as the darkness cleared and Shutendoji's shield bubble reappeared, undamaged. Their former comrade eyed them, unfazed by the attack.

"I don't see _you_ coming up with any plans, Rajura," Anubis commented.

"He's a man in a bubble," Rajura replied. "We could wait until he runs out of power. He can't hold it up forever." He looked over at Kayura, who was still keeping up her fight with the two Yoroi Senshi. "Or we attack as a group and overwhelm him. We could do it now or wait until Kayura finishes. If Shutendoji really has Kaos' powers, then we won't be able to stand up to him. But with Kayura's strength, we should have just enough to take him down."

"Why not use one of your illusions and make him think he's getting attacked by an army?" Naaza asked. "Or make him feel tired or something?"

"Do I tell you how to poison people?" Rajura asked. "Don't ask stupid questions."

Naaza was only a few threatening steps from Rajura before Anubis spoke.

"Stop it. He's not worth it." He looked back at Shutendoji. "And fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere."

"It helped open my eyes," Shutendoji said. "We weren't a team. We weren't even really allies. What do you even like about being here? Ordering the guards around? Killing some minor demons every now and then? Licking Arago's boots? The scenery, maybe?"

"And what is so good outside of this place that's worth stirring Arago's ire?" Rajura replied. "The Human Realm is just as terrible as it was when we were mortal and lived there ourselves. It's ugly and full of war and hunger and pain. The only worth it has is in the subjugation of its residents. The only thing worth having is power, and that's what Arago offers."

"How many times have you told yourselves that to make yourself believe it?" Shutendoji asked.

"Oh please!" Naaza laughed. "You used to believe the same thing! Stop acting like you're better than we are. As if you've got some moral fiber hidden in that golden stick you got off a crazy, _dead_ old man. If you're trying to inspire us, just look at the example you've given us, first. You want us to end up like _him?_ Or like _you_ , trapped in your little bubble in the middle of Arago's home turf, about to die, with the people you've placed your trust in not soon behind." He grinned and looked back at Kayura, Ryo and Touma, who were really going at it. "Or maybe you'll get to watch them die, too."

* * *

Touma flexed his fingers. Although the arrows he used contained a great deal of power, they never hurt him and did not even burn his fingers lightly like normal arrows. But his hands were feeling a bit strained from the repeated motion. This fight was dragging on far too long. He had cast two Shin Ku Ha's and Kayura had dodged both and laughed in his face. Ryo had used three Sou En Zan's and none of those had hit their mark. Touma looked around the area, amazed they were not surrounded by rubble.

 _The place keeps reforming, no matter the damage._ He looked at Shutendoji, trapped amidst the Demon Mashou. _I could always try and clear an opening for Shutendoji. But then we'd have the Demon Mashou on our hands. And I think he almost likes where he is. Trying to convince those idiots to join our side._ He looked back at Kayura, who was still focusing on Ryo, and judging by her smile and occasional laughter as she cut at him, enjoying herself immensely.

 _Why hasn't she shot me down from here yet?_ He wondered. _She's had the opportunity._

* * *

Kayura was really enjoying herself. She hadn't fought an opponent for this long in many years. Even panting and tiring, Ryo kept on.

 _I could kill him easily… but Arago doesn't want that. And I can't help that I keep thinking it, but this is too fun!_ Plus, the fight kept her mind off Shutendoji.

She was constantly aware of where Shutendoji was standing in his shield bubble, no matter where she and Ryo moved their fight, even if she wasn't looking at him. Shutendoji's power made an irritating buzzing. It was part of why she hadn't used her more powerful attack more often since the start of the fight. The buzzing was too distracting. On the other hand, the sword fight was rather soothing. Not that it mattered. She was not one of Arago's strongest for nothing, and much as she enjoyed this, she was not fighting an opponent even close to her own prowess with a blade.

So she kept up the fight, enjoying it while she could. But inwardly she sorrowed.

People ran out of juice so quickly.

* * *

Ryo slid backward, panting. His hands were throbbing from blocking Kayura's attacks. _She hits like a truck. What does she train on? Cement punching bags? And why does she keep smiling? It's eerie…_

He was tiring. He knew the only reason he was still standing was because of the armor. It kept him going somehow. Byakuen also pitched in every now and then, keeping Kayura away for short periods while Ryo caught a few breaths. Touma threw some attacks at her as well, but Ryo knew he could not fire at anyone forever.

 _Which this fight might become at this rate,_ he thought as Byakuen raced in once more, ramming into Kayura's arm and knocking her aside. Arrows planted themselves in the ground where she stood once, then twice, then a third and fourth time. She leapt aside each time before they landed.

 _She's so fast_ _and_ _she's just toying with me. Why? Don't these people have anything else they care about other than playing with people's lives?_ He heard more of her laughter. _Probably not. I could always try another Sou En Zan..._

_Fight!_

Ryo had come to a good place with the spirit of the armor. It had been mostly quiet for a while in the labyrinth. His head felt clearer. It occasionally called out to him but it was only a slight irritation.

Except that had been when he wasn't ready to collapse and being attacked by a crazed demon.

In the moment that he pressed down with his will to silence the spirit, Kayura leapt free of Byakuen and flew at him. He didn't move out of the way fast enough and his swords came up to block her too late.

He didn't know how it happened, but when next he recollected, he was sprawled against the wall and his nose was bleeding profusely. He'd dropped one of his swords and felt like his right arm was ready to fall off.

"Ryo!" Touma aimed at Kayura and fired another Shin Ku Ha at her. She leapt up, completely untouched, and fired a Ran Sei Zan back at the blue senshi, who moved too slowly to dodge. Purple lightning from the attack hit his left side. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground on Ryo's right, his face in the dirt. The partially demolished wall he had been standing on reformed itself so that it appeared untouched.

Kayura landed on the ground and looked at them with a smile. "Aww… don't tell me it's over. This was such fun!"

Byakuen ran in front of the two downed Senshi and snarled at her.

Kayura narrowed her eyes. "Don't test me kitty."

"No!" Shutendoji stared, wide-eyed, at Ryo and Touma as Kayura walked towards them.

"What a shame," Anubis said. "Here I thought they might last a bit longer. Defeated by Kayura, no less. Pathetic."

The shakujo began to ring. Shutendoji looked at it in surprise, feeling energy surge around the metal.

Kayura stopped walking and put her left hand to her head. "Ugh, shut up!"

"Preparing to attack at last?" Naaza asked, watching Shutendoji. "It's about time. You'd better hurry, before Kayura kills your friends."

 _I can't take them all on my own,_ Shutendoji thought as he looked back at Ryo and Touma. _I'll gladly help them summon… wait…_

The shakujo was not building up energy like when it helped create the Shiroi Kikotei. Instead, it reached out to the Demon Mashou surrounding the bubble. Their armors began to glow and they took a step back in alarm.

"What's going on?" Naaza yelled. His armor was growing warm. "What did he do?"

"I don't-" Anubis knelt on the ground as pain overtook him. It was like the armor was trying to rip itself off his body and take pieces of him with it.

Rajura tried to move away to put more distance between himself and Shutendoji, but it was hard enough to keep his perch on the wall without falling. The pain was excruciating.

Shutendoji looked at them all, not understanding what was happening. As recognition came, he turned back to Ryo and Touma and saw that their armors were glowing, too.

"But how…?" He caught sight of Kayura, who had stopped moving towards the two downed senshi.

Her hand was still on her head and her eyes were narrowed in pain, but she kept to her task. _I am Kayura! I will not be beaten by an irritating noise!_ She watched the Yoroi Senshi for a moment, especially Ryo, then called out.

"Nether Spirits! Come to me!"

In seconds, a dozen of the creatures gathered around her. She pointed at Ryo and Touma and they flew round the pair, settling over the two like a blanket. The humans cried out in pain. Shutendoji tried to move to intervene, but the shakujo kept him frozen in place.

 _It's using me as a focus to manipulate the Demon Mashou._ He could feel the taint of Arago's power burning away from their armors. _But how...?_

Then the armors sent their power to Ryo. As the Shiroi Kikotei began to form around him – far slower than usual – the extra Nether Spirits moved from Touma to its bearer, melding with the incoming energy.

* * *

Ryo felt like he was being suffocated and squashed into the floor at the same time. The Shiroi Kikotei was always hotter than his Rekka armor, but he had mostly adjusted to it. Now he felt like he was being roasted alive. He could feel the Nether Spirits and the foreign power of the Demon Mashou. The Shiroi Kikotei relished forming with all the excess energy, but it clearly did not mesh well with the Spirits. It moved like it was drunk, solidifying on parts of his body, burning random areas and weighing others down, not allowing Ryo to find a semblance of balance to move on. He barely managed to stand, then stumbled forward, falling on his face. He turned his head a little so it was not buried in the dirt, but could not otherwise move.

Byakueno's form once more superimposed itself on Byakuen, but the Nether Spirits' corruption reached through his connection to the Shiroi Kikotei and adversely affected the tiger. He roared in pain and knelt on the ground with his eyes shut.

Kayura laughed at Byakuen. "So much for that." She stepped around the tiger and looked down at the Shiroi Kikotei curiously, amazed that such power was immobilized. She smiled. "Well that went well. Too bad our fight was cut short." The normal white of the armor was covered in murky purple and gray. She could see Ryo's pained expression. His body spasmed.

"Don't fight it, Ryo," Kayura said soothingly. "You and your armor belong here, with Lord Arago. Embrace it, and it'll be less painful."

Shutendoji staggered backward as the shakujo finally released him. His shield vanished and he looked around to see the Demon Mashou lying on the ground nearby. Rajura had finally fallen off the wall and lay in a heap.

Kayura was leaning over Ryo. Shutendoji could not tell whether it was the shakujo that pulled him to Ryo or his Ogre armor or both, but he ran at Kayura, summoning Kaos' powers for a full-on attack.

She leapt away, laughing at his temerity.

When Shutendoji came to a halt, he slammed the shakujo into the ground, causing it to ring out.

Kayura cried out and staggered. "That noise again! Stop it!"

"You've caused enough trouble here, Kayura!" Shutendoji focused on her and prepared to attack her with all he had. "Begone!" But when he tried to throw Kaos' powers at her to attack, nothing happened. The shakujo just continued to ring.

"I will kill you, you…" Kayura backed up further. She dropped her sai and put both of her hands on her head.

"Why is this not working?" Shutendoji shook the shakujo experimentally, making it ring louder.

"Would you stop that?" Kayura shouted at him. "Did Arago choose you people for your stupidity? What did you do the first time he gave you your armors? Hit things with them until you figured out which end was the pointy one?"

"Well I can at least tell that this noise is hurting you a lot," Shutendoji replied. "Though I do not know why. What were you hoping to accomplish? Knock out your own people by summoning the Shiroi Kikotei? You can't use it if the bearer won't use it for you, and it's useless to Arago otherwise. He can't just absorb it as it is."

"I…" Kayura shook her head. "I don't care about-it's not-I…" She looked around, clearly confused. Images flashed through her mind of a small village. _Smiling faces_ _looked back at her_. She felt longing and warmth and a strange sense of peace...

 _Fire. Attacking demons. Screams._ "Where? Why did I attack-Arago is…" She shook her head, ignoring the barrage. "I don't know what you're pulling, but I…"

_Kayura!_

_Mother!_

She shook her head. "Curse that infernal noise!" She glared at Shutendoji and jumped over him to land near Ryo. "You're not worth my time!" she said as she reached down to grab Ryo's arm. She cried out as her fingers got close to the armor and pulled away. _He's burning… How am I supposed to get him to Arago like this?_

"Well that just isn't going to work." Shutendoji summoned his armor. It felt strange to be in the armor again, but also somewhat comforting. _I've worn it for many more years than I wore the monk robes. Maybe this will take care of her._ He raised his kusair-gama and stepped towards Kayura, his expression hard. "Leave him alone!"

Kayura looked at him in surprise. The buzzing was gone, along with the irritating images, although she still felt a little dizzy. She lowered her hands. "You just… how stupid are you? You gave up your only advantage to fight me like that?" She smiled. "Thanks for getting rid of the headache."

"I don't have to do anything. You can't touch him like that. The Shiroi Kikotei protects itself."

"It's still corrupted. He's _dying_ , in case you didn't notice. The longer you keep me here, the less of a chance he has to survive this encounter."

"That's the nice thing about the armors," Shutendoji replied. "You, Badamon and Arago never used one, so you probably wouldn't understand. Arago sees them as a whole. Badamon sees them as a tool. You probably just see them as things to capture. But they're part of who we are as bearers. And they're all connected to each other." He looked at the Demon Mashou, who were starting to push themselves up. "They respond to each other. Kaos' power worked to purify the other armors, to better connect them to the more purified ones held by the Yoroi Senshi. _That_ is why they could form the Shiroi Kikotei. So yes, you corrupted the end result, but the armors are still responding to each other. Our spirits are still responding to each other." He shut his eyes. "The spirits that give our armors power. The Nether Spirits are _nothing_ against that. And without the overt influence of the armor on their bodies, my comrades can think with clear heads for the first time in centuries. And I somehow doubt that they'll be supportive of Arago when they see what his plans were for them."

Kayura leapt over him again and snatched up her sai. She turned to face him and glared, raising the weapons for a fight. "You talk too much."

* * *

Touma sat up to watch Kayura and Shutendoji go at each other. He frowned. _Shutendoji put his armor back on. But… whatever. I'll get to it later._ He looked down at Ryo, who still lay on the ground. The white armor wasn't glowing white as much as usual, and parts of it looked almost rusted. The aura the armor put out felt... shaky and cloying. Touma was afraid of trying to touch it. He had a strange feeling that whatever it was that was corrupting it would infect him, too.

"Ryo, you have to wake up."

Still not wanting to, he reached out to his friend.

* * *

_Ryo!_

He could dimly hear Touma's voice through the pain. It got to the point where the pain was just a wall blocking out everything. He knew Touma was calling him from somewhere, but he didn't know what to do about it. It just felt so distant. The Shiroi Kikotei was there, attempting to melt him into nothingness.

_Rekka…_

That voice was new. He was curious about it. It was at least a distraction from the pain. From the grasping hands of the Nether Spirits as they tried to drag him into the abyss.

_Rekka no Ryo…_

More than one of them. New, but familiar…

_He's just a boy…_

The Demon Mashou! They were here, coming after him!

He saw them somehow. Shining in the distance with the power of their armors. But what were they trying to do?

* * *

"This is insane…" Rajura commented. "Arago and Badamon care nothing for us. We're just tools to fuel their plans. If this is my future, I want no part in it." He was kneeling now, despite the pain. Something pushed him to run over and help the Yoroi Senshi. _Help them with what?_

"You're speaking treason, Rajura," Anubis said. He lay on his back and looked up at the sky. The world – and his sanity – swam. "It's… ugh, my head… Arago is… but he's a demon… But he's our lord… We-I…" The air smelled foul for the first time in a long time. He recalled when he had first arrived in Arago's domain and was overtaken by the stench of demonic aura and filth. He had briefly considered that he made the wrong choice in accepting Arago's offer. _That memory faded away years ago. Why return now?_

"Shut up before you hurt yourself, Anubis," Naaza commented. He lay on his stomach but had his right arm down to push himself up. "You know what he says is right. Arago seeks nothing but destruction for everything else, and domination for himself. He'll gladly get rid of us when we're of no more use, and this is just the beginning." Naaza felt tired for the first time in a long time. Drained.

"You spoke a full three sentences there, Naaza," Rajura commented. "That's a new one."

"Go die, Rajura."

"What do we do?" Anubis was pale from struggling to stay awake with the strain of the power drain. "W-we must pick a side."

"We could just leave this all behind," Rajura said. "It's not like we have to help _anyone_."

"Personally," Naaza put in, "I'm on the side that gets to pay Arago back for all the stupidity he's put us through over the centuries."

"Shutendoji and the humans…" Anubis said, looking over to the fight. Kayura and Shutendoji were evenly matched at the moment.

"Much as I hate them," Naaza put in, "I'll go. If it means killing Arago, sure. Why not?"

"Then it's decided," Rajura said.

"It feels right," Anubis said. "Wrong but… right. For the first time in years, it feels _right._ "

"It'll feel right when we get to kill something," Naaza muttered.

* * *

Ryo reached out for the Demon Mashou, curious about why they shined liked his friends. Their powers were all unique, but also similar somehow. The armors _were_ all connected, and the power to form the Shiroi Kikotei was clearly shared between them.

Touma's power and another light that made him think of Shutendoji also joined, and the five lights gathered round him, breaking through the Nether Spirits and casting them out. Able to move again, Ryo took back control of the Shiroi Kikotei and expelled the rest of the Nether Spirits with a cry.

* * *

Kayura and Shutendoji stopped fighting as they heard Ryo's scream. They turned to look at him.

He stood, albeit a bit shakily, as the Nether Spirits fled from the armor and disintegrated from its heat. The armor shone once more with its usual white glow. Kayura stepped back, shading her eyes. It seemed to burn even through her fingers and stung through her armor. The whirlwind of unfamiliar images began to fill her mind and she backed up, cursing it all.

_First that wretched noise and now this light… Ugh. This battle is clearly lost. I'm leaving._

Ryo turned his eyes on her. Byakuen, freed from the influence of the corruption as well, walked up to him, growled, and let him unsheathe the swords. Ryo brandished them and pointed at Kayura, preparing to attack.

"Save your breath, boy. I'm going." She leapt up to the top of the wall behind her and ran over it, vanishing quickly into the distance.

Shutendoji sighed with relief. "Thank goodness for that."

Once he was sure that Kayura was truly gone and that there was no other threat - the malice of the Demon Mashou was gone and somehow they had stopped feeling like _enemies_ in his head - Ryo dismissed the armor and collapsed. He had taken control of the armor, but the burns he'd gained from it were extensive, and the mental struggle of dealing with the pain and the barrage from the Nether Spirits had taken its toll. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep, and his body was not giving him much choice in the matter.

Touma knelt by his side. "Ryo…"

Shutendoji walked over, eying the exhausted senshi. "He'll live. But he needs a lot of rest. He's gone through a lot. He got rid of the Nether Spirits, even when they were embedded in his armor like that. That was quite a feat." He looked over at the Demon Mashou and dismissed his armor, recalling his monks' robes. _This is a gamble I think I have already won._ He walked over to them as they regained their feet. His gaze was hard. "Well? What have you decided?"

Anubis stood up and pulled his helmet off. His blue hair was ruffled from being in the helmet and matted with sweat, and his expression was weary. Shutendoji could see that he had struggled hard and it had left a heavy toll on him.

"We'll help you, Shutendoji. Whatever happened… whatever it was. We'll help. Arago's side is no place for us anymore."

"Not that we're suddenly embracing the humans," Naaza said. "But we owe Arago."

"You're human, you idiot," Rajura commented. He pulled his own helmet off, revealing his white hair and paler-than-usual face as he glared at his comrade. "If you were a demon you wouldn't be able to wear that armor. It's Arago's armor. He's the only one who can wear it because it's his. It's a part of him. It's time we remember…" He looked at Shutendoji. "It's time we remember who we are."

Shutendoji smiled. "You've chosen wisely. I am glad."

Naaza snorted. "You used to hate everything, including us. What exactly did you do to change that?"

"I started believing in things again," Shutendoji replied. I learned about hope, and faith. And loyalty." He looked back at the Yoroi Senshi. Touma had pulled Ryo back to the wall and sat him against it, then turned to Shutendoji and nodded. Byakuen stood protectively nearby in his regular form. "I learned things that I had forgotten. That I never really understood when I was mortal. And I hope you are just as lucky some day."

"So what's the plan?" Anubis asked, more in control of himself; his expression was hard and he was ready for action.

"Well..." Shutendoji frowned and looked to his upper left. He smiled as he saw familiar figures approaching in the distance. "I think we get together for a discussion of what's going on, and then we make our move."


	15. Passing Through

Tsuri's vines carried Utako and her forces towards the hole Tsuri had made in the ceiling of the prison. The escapees attacked any enemies that came after them. Shu, Seiji and Shin fought alongside them. It took time to break everyone out and get them up to the ceiling. When Tsuri first got there, she saw that the hole was attempting to close back up on her plants. The plant's roots fought to keep the hole open. Tsuri leaned towards the plant she held on to and murmured to it. It grew larger and snatched at the ceiling, pulling off more chunks around the hole and increasing the size of the opening. With that done, Tsuri jumped off the plant next to the hole and directed the plant to carry everyone else up.

Utako joined her. The ogre sent some escapees to deal with guards outside of the chamber. The sounds of battle echoed down the hallway. She gathered others into orderly groups.

Even Tsuri was amazed at all them. The prison had held a great number of people. Some of them ran when they reached the surface, vanishing into the labyrinth of the fort. Others stayed behind, hesitant or resigned and all blinked in the brightness of the torchlight. Many shaded their eyes after so long in the dark.

Akiko showed up from the passages with a few of her siblings in tow, delivered a short list of where the guards were to Tsuri and Utako, and disappeared again, leaving one of her siblings behind with Utako to keep the ogre updated on what the kitsune were up to.

At long last, the three Yoroi Senshi came out after the remaining escapees. Seiji took a moment after he came up to simply breathe in the torchlight, shutting his eyes and flexing his fingers. He noticed the plight of the others and focused on the torches, dimming them ever so slightly for a more comfortable level of light. Shin and Shu blinked spots out of their eyes and looked to Tsuri.

Shu walked up to her and said, with a swallow, "Sorry I brushed aside that place, earlier. That was pretty awful."

Tsuri smiled, "Well they say seeing is believing, at least. You did a good job down there. Us non-flyers need to stick together." She very lightly punched his right upper arm in a friendly way. He didn't even react, but his face went slightly red.

"Where to now?" Shin asked.

"Well-"

"I can sense the others," Seiji interrupted. He walked past Tsuri and looked down the primary hallway. "Although I don't know my way around this place."

"Then I guess we'll be working together again," Tsuri replied. "I know the way."

"You're leaving?" Utako asked, stepping towards Tsuri.

"Yes. We have to find our other allies."

Utako nodded. "We'll make some trouble, then. You know how to find me when you're ready. Just look for the biggest ruckus." She waved to her people, who gathered together behind her. They departed and the sounds of fighting increased.

* * *

Seiji took the lead once they were out of the fortress. He insisted that they run over the top of the walls for speed. Tsuri was irritated that they weren't being subtler and keeping to the low levels of the labyrinth.

"He likes to take the lead," Shu said as they ran along. He was behind her and smiled when she glanced back before ducking his head and nearly falling off the wall.

Tsuri smiled and looked ahead. _Utako's forces must be keeping the Youja busy_. None appeared to oppose them and the Demon Mashou and Kayura had not shown up to stop them. Arago, Badamon and the remaining Nether Spirits were nowhere to be seen. Tsuri did not want to put too much faith in good luck, but after a time she conceded that their choice in travel was all right.

As they neared their friends, Seiji could sense the Demon Mashou as well. None of the Yoroi Senshi had dismissed their armor with all the enemies around.

"Be ready!" He called back to the others as he drew his sword. Shu and Shin followed suit, prepared for battle. Tsuri crouched at the back of the group, her right hand on her seed pouch.

Seiji dropped down before reaching the final wall and climbed up to peek over the top and survey the scene ahead. His eyebrows shot up.

Ryo, Touma and Byakuen were nearby on the ground, with Ryo seated with his back to Byakuen's side and Touma standing next to him. Nearby, Shutendoji and the Demon Mashou were talking in a circle. None of them had their weapons drawn and it didn't seem like they were threatening each other.

Seiji stood up over the top with his sword raised, confused but ready to attack.

Shutendoji turned and looked up at Seiji with a smile. The blonde senshi frowned and jumped down from the wall, followed by the others. Tsuri jumped down but kept to the back of the party, eyeing the Demon Mashou warily. They ignored her, although Rajura looked at her curiously before returning his attention to the Yoroi Senshi.

Touma turned to the newcomers and his face lit up. "It's good to see that you're all okay!" He looked at Tsuri, caught her attention and bowed respectfully to her. "Thank you for bringing them back."

"Looks like she was right," Shin said to Seiji, who ignored him and walked over to Shutendoji, keeping his grip firm on the hilt of his no-dachi the whole while and his eyes focused on the Demon Mashou.

"You're really alive," Seiji said, smiling as he looked at Shutendoji.

Shutendoji smiled back. "Yes. It's good to see that you made your escape safely."

"Thanks to Tsuri. She says she's your ally."

"Yes, that's correct."

Seiji nodded and looked back at the Demon Mashou, surprised to see them all without their helmets on. They looked more human as a result, but it only ended up weirding him out. They all stared back calmly, even Anubis.

He looked at Anubis, his expression darkening. Anubus narrowed his eyes. Seiji asked, "So… what's going on?"

"We're just talking," Shutendoji replied. He looked at his former comrades. "Anubis, Naaza and Rajura have decided to join us in our battle against Arago."

"Just like that?"

"No, not 'just like that'," Anubis said, with just a bit of vitriol. "We hate him just as much as you do."

Seiji glared back at him. "I doubt it."

Shutendoji stepped forward as the two continued their attempts to stare holes through each other. "Look, I know that there's a lot of history between everyone here. But we can't just start attacking each other over what's in the past, at least not now. If we fight each other here, Arago has already beaten us. Focus your anger at each other on Arago. Better yet, act like you're more mature and intelligent than children and look past it to see what's important. Can you work together or not?"

Seiji spoke first, "I can look past my hatred. As long as I know I won't be stabbed in the back by our new allies."

Anubis opened his mouth to reply, but Rajura cut him off. "We're done with that. We want freedom from Arago. We've made some poor decisions and are trying to learn how to stay on the right path. We'll stand at your side and pull our own weight. You needn't have fear of that. But if you want to encourage it, you might _help_ us rather than imitate our former behavior."

Seiji looked at Shutendoji and said, "We started a ruckus on our way out that'll hopefully hold some of Arago's attention for a time."

"We've started a little rebellion of sorts," Tsuri added, appearing at Seiji's elbow. She had been listening but keeping her distance until she knew that the Demon Mashou were allies. She was still wary of them, but Seiji and Shutendoji were between her and them. She was probably fine, or she would at least have plenty of time to get away. Or enough of a barrier to block her in time to retaliate against their attacks. "They were keeping Seiji in one of Arago's prisons where a friend of mine was imprisoned with more of Arago's undesirables. We helped them break out and now they're causing trouble in the main castle."

"That's great news," Shutendoji replied. "We met up with Dara on the way here. He's causing trouble in his quarter and it's been spreading to other areas."

* * *

"What happened?" Shin asked Touma as he and Shu looked down at Ryo, who was asleep.

 _He looks exhausted_ , Shu thought.

"We got attacked by Kayura and the Demon Mashou," Touma replied.

"Tsuri mentioned Kayura. Who is she again?" Shin asked.

"Oh… she's a new enemy we're going to have to worry about. She's more powerful than the Demon Mashou. While you got caught by the Demon Mashou before, she came after Ryo and beat us up."

"Well I guess it's nice to know that we weren't the only ones who got beat up," Shu said.

"Go on," Shin said to Touma, "What happened during _this_ ," he gestured to the area, "fight?"

Touma continued, "The Demon Mashou focused on Shutendoji, but Kayura beat us up, especially Ryo. He ended up summoning the Shiroi Kikotei somehow and the armor used the Demon Mashou's armors to form. While it was forming, Kayura summoned some Nether Spirits to mess with it and Ryo was basically overloaded with demonic energy."

"But how…?" Shu began. He didn't even know what to ask.

"I don't know," Touma said. "It hurt something awful. I mainly remember waking up and Ryo and I were lying facedown in the dirt, the Shiroi Kikotei and Kayura were gone and Shutendoji was talking with the Demon Mashou."

"That sounds awful," Shin said, looking the pair over. "I wonder what they wanted to accomplish. Steal the Shiroi Kikotei? I imagine it would go berserk before something like _that_ would make it usable."

"That's my theory, too," Touma said. "I imagine that what they wanted was to confuse it so that they could capture it. Ryo couldn't even move with it the way it was. He fell over once it was summoned, and that hasn't happened before."

"But to use the Demon Mashou to summon it…" Shu said. "How does _that_ even work? I thought only _our_ armors could do it."

"Well, we haven't found a reason for why it's _not_ possible," Touma said. "And we clearly have proof that it's possible now. We know they formed Arago's armor, too. So… I wonder if we could use more than five armors to form it and what would happen?"

Shu looked at Shin with a grin. "It figures that we're back in the Demon Realm and he just got beat up and _still_ he's thinking of crazy theories."

"Well someone has to use their brain with you around, Shu," Shin replied. "To make up for you not using yours."

"Aw come on!" Shu protested. "I can have ideas!"

"Of course. You make the best meals I've ever eaten," he said with a grin. "And of course there's the ideas you have about demons?" Shin looked pointedly at Tsuri as she stood by the other group. She seemed to feel the look and turned her head to glare over her shoulder at the senshi, making him look hurriedly away.

Shu's face turned red. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shin looked at him and grinned. "Why is your face turning red?"

Touma caught on and grinned as well. "You're kidding. Really Shu?"

"I have no idea what either of you two idiots are talking about," Shu replied, studiously looking at the wall. "Right now all I'm thinking about is how beat up my friends are. Or are about to be."

Shin and Touma laughed.

The others came over to join them. Naaza spoke up first when he saw them recovering from their laughter as Shu continued to glare. "What exactly is so amusing in this situation?"

"Nothing!" Shu said, continuing to stare at the wall.

Naaza gave him a curious look.

Shutendoji looked at Touma and asked, "How is Ryo?"

"Asleep," Touma replied. "The armor is healing the damage, as far as I can tell." The Rekka armor faded from sight, leaving Ryo in his sub-yoroi. There was some dirt and blood on his face and his skin was a bit pale, but otherwise he looked all right and he was breathing okay. "That should be a good sign," Touma added, referring to the armor vanishing.

"I don't know much about this Shiroi Kikotei," Rajura said, "But if it's as powerful as I've heard, we'll need to use it to fight Arago. It may be the only way we defeat him. That won't work if the only person who can wear it is unconscious."

"Then maybe you idiots should think before you beat people up," Shu said, glaring at him.

Seiji gave Shu a warning look, but Tsuri was the one who put a hand on the orange senshi's soldier before he could go farther. Shu looked at her briefly before turning his gaze to the ground and shutting his mouth.

"What about Kayura?" Touma asked. "And this Badamon guy? We'll have to find them and defeat them first. Arago is going to require all our attention, no matter what we do. We can't fight two other powerful enemies at the same time."

"They'll be in the castle, too," Anubis said. "We'll just have to hope they're not constantly hanging around him. We might be able to catch Kayura alone, but Badamon tends to stick to Arago lately, hoping to curry favor. Unless word of this failure has reached them by now because of Kayura. He may have slunk off to his own chambers to escape Arago's wrath."

"With two rebellions going on and spreading chaos outside," Rajura commented, "Arago may be ready to leave the castle to go out and deal with problems on his own, especially if Kayura has told him that we've turned traitor."

"That's the hope," Shutendoji said. "Inside the castle he's surrounded by the spells he and Badamon have woven around the place. Outside he's just the slightest bit more vulnerable. But I don't think he'll leave yet. He still has two big cards to play, like Touma said. He'll send Kayura and Badamon with his Nether Spirits out after us first."

"So the first goal is dealing with _them_ ," Anubis said.

"That should give Ryo enough time to recover," Shin said. "He'll be able to go after Arago with the Shiroi Kikotei then."

"So what should we do until then?" Naaza asked. "Just stay here?"

"Well I doubt they'll come back here," Seiji said. "Kayura fled. Badamon and Arago are at the castle. We'll be going to _them_ , not the other way around."

"We could split up," Shin offered. "Some of us go after Kayura and Badamon. The others stay with Ryo. That way he's not an easy target for them to pick up."

"But that lessens the amount of power we have to throw at them," Anubis said. "They're both powerful, more so if they're together. A smaller group of us could probably take Kayura on, but Badamon will have his Nether Spirits."

"No matter what happens," Touma said. "Someone will have to guard Ryo, even if all we do is just head for the castle and fight our way through. Our choices are how long we give him to recuperate."

"I don't like splitting up," Shutendoji said. "It gives them too much of an opportunity to pick us off. Together, we stand a chance of taking them down quickly. Byakuen can carry Ryo and one of us will guard him. They'll stay in the back and take cover when we fight. Byakuen can take care of him if things get rough."

"The tiger?" Naaza laughed. "You've got to be joking."

Byakuen roared and advanced slightly in the direction of the Demon Mashou. Naaza hmphed and looked away.

"We stay together," Shutendoji continued, as if he hadn't been interrupted, "and we push our way through. The sooner Arago is defeated, the sooner we can go on with our lives. Any problems with that?"

No one spoke up and Shutendoji nodded. "Very well. Who would like to lead?"

Rajura stepped forward. "I know how to get to Badamon quickly, if we don't find him on the way."

"Oh right," Shu began, "Let's trust the guy who can cast illusions as the guide."

"It's all right," Tsuri said. "I had a bit of an adventure through the castle before I found you three. If he starts to lead us astray, I'll know."

"Who exactly are you?" Naaza asked, rounding on her and looking straight at her for the first time. "I've never seen you before."

"I imagine not," she replied. "The name is Tsuri, since you're wondering. Beyond that, use your brain and figure it out. Now," she looked at Rajura, "Are we going any time soon?"

Shu and Touma picked up Ryo and lay him on Byakuen's back. Then Rajura led them at a quick pace out of the area.

It was a little awkward to have so large a group, especially of people who were former enemies . The Demon Mashou, much as they disliked each other, stuck close together but also remained separate from the others. The Yoroi Senshi mirrored this, gathered protectively around Ryo and Byakuen. Shutendoji provided a sort of connection between the two groups. Much as they disliked the Yoroi Senshi even now, the Demon Mashou at least knew Shutendoji better. And if they were to honestly say why they were more comfortable near him, they would not be able to properly vocalize it. Whereas the Yoroi Senshi simply trusted Shutendoji. Tsuri stayed by Shutendoji as well to keep a better eye on Rajura while still keeping her distance. Shu found himself near the front of the group rather than the back. Shin ran beside him. After seeing one light, mischievous smile on his friend's face, Shu kept his attention elsewhere. Touma and Seiji held up the rear of the party, keeping watch behind and above them.

They came to a stop at the outskirts of the castle. Ryo made a noise like he was awake and Touma looked at him hopefully, but his eyes were still closed.

"Wish _I_ was sleeping for what's to come," Rajura commented before he went on to scout ahead for a bit. Tsuri nodded to Shutendoji before following. Everyone else waited.

Touma switched places with Shin to stand behind Shutendoji. He touched the other man's arm. "Have you considered," he asked quietly, "That there might be some… mental or physical damage as a result of the Nether Spirits' attack?"

"I have," Shutendoji replied. "But all the armors are together. If there were any damage, I think we'd sense it. And even if we don't, our presence, plus that of Kaos' power, should suppress it. His body is just recovering."

"You're saying that as a group we're better at healing?"

"As a group we're better at something. Just like how Arago's armor, combined, is more powerful than its individual parts. Altogether, we're more powerful than Arago, because we contain the greater parts of his power combined, plus some extras, while he has only what's left."

"But the five of us fought him before and couldn't overcome him," Touma replied.

"You fought alone," he replied. "Your individual attacks are no more than he is and you were inexperienced. The Shiroi Kikotei offers a chance to fight him in one shot – a surety of killing him. You defeated him that way before."

"But we didn't get rid of him. Should the Demon Mashou just fight alongside the Shiroi Kikotei? That's dangerous. What if they're caught in the crossfire?"

"Are you worried about us?" Anubis asked with a smile. He had good hearing. Rajura and Tsuri returned, refusing to look at each other but unworried about what lay ahead.

"Not really," Touma replied, raising his voice. "Beyond the simple concern I hold for allies. But if you die and the attack with the Shiroi Kikotei fails, we may lose what chance we have to defeat Arago forever and I would really hate that."

"And do you have a suggestion to stop this?"

"A curiosity," Touma replied. "Five of us formed the Shiroi Kikotei. All of us and Arago form a completed Arago. What would just the nine of us form?"

"That's mad," Anubis said. "How would we even find out? Just focus real hard and form the thing?"

"Well we formed it the first time because the five of us," Touma gestured to all the Yoroi Senshi, "were connected in spirit. If that's how we are now, as nine, and formed it together, who knows what could happen?"

"I imagine," Rajura replied, "That your friend might die of the power overdose. That's one step down from what Arago commands and he's a demon who built up his own power to such a manner. Just look at what the combined power of four armors did to the kid, plus a little bit of the Nether Spirits in the mix. And the residual backlash might kill the rest of us, or at least cripple us for a while."

"We don't know that for certain," Shin said. "And it's a decent idea, Touma. It doesn't really need coordination. We only need to do what we were planning anyway, which is summon the Shiroi Kikotei and see what happens after."

"That's if your friend wakes up in time," Naaza commented.

"He'll be fine," Seiji commented. "Now are we going to find Badamon and Kayura or what?"


	16. Light of the Shakujo

Kayura had spotted the ruckus in the castle as she stumbled to her chambers. Even from this hallway near the center of Arago's domain, she could hear it all. Angry shouts, death cries and the clash of metal on metal filled the air. Youja ran past her to join the fray and unfamiliar warriors charged at clumps of them. Empty Youja armor lay scattered on the ground alongside the corpses of various demons and multicolored blood. Multicolored flashes of spells shone in the distance accompanied by cries of pain and glee.

At first she considered wading in and helping to defend the castle. Arago would be angry that she had failed yet again once he heard about this latest failed scheme. Dealing with the rebellion might help alleviate that anger.

But her confrontation with Shutendoji had made Arago's feelings matter to her a lot less. That was why, rather than head to Arago's throne room to announce her failure, she was on her way to her personal chamber.

She rubbed her head, still feeling the remnants of that awful headache.

' _Kayura!'_

_'Mother! Father!'_

In the end she ignored the fight and continued on her way. _If I fall over during combat because of these flashes, there's going to be a problem._ _I doubt they'll hurt me, but I probably wouldn't be much help. I should just go lie down._ The sounds of battle faded as she walked deeper into the castle.

She finally entered her chamber and shut the door with a sigh of relief. The circular room was mostly bare but for a large bed, stands for her weapons and armor and a washbasin for her face and hands. Torches lit by spelled flames burned blue and lit the place. She had plenty of space for stretching, small exercises and meditating. It was a peaceful atmosphere. She lay down on the bed and pulled a pillow over her face.

_I don't have a family! I never—!_

Scenes of a village in flames filled her mind and she clawed into the pillow and threw it aside. Her hands went over her eyes in an attempt to rub the images out.

' _Demons are invading!'_

 _'Arago!'_ A fury filled her at the name, as if it made her blood boil. He was… he…

"He raised me!" she cried out. Badamon and Arago. They trained her. They gave her the armor she wore and the twin sai she carried. They showed her how to channel her power. She had a home here. She had a job to keep her occupied. Demons to beat and take out her anger on. _That_ was something to be grateful for! How could she be _angry_ with those who had given her so much? Despise them with such a hatred for acts she could barely recall…

She had never questioned her origins. Her earliest memories, ignoring this nightmare Shutendoji had brought on her, were of being trained by Arago.

Her powers were stronger than any soldier Arago had, even the Demon Mashou. But unlike most of Arago's underlings, _she_ had been personally trained by Arago, with added influence from Badamon, who trained no one. Surely _that_ had made all the difference.

Her thoughts were going in circles, constantly coming back to the same memories and leaving her with a sense of loss, as if there was something missing. She pulled her hands from her eyes and looked at the ceiling as the visions quieted and faded briefly. "But why did he choose me?" She sat up and looked around her room as if she saw it for the first time. It was empty. There was no personality in it. No history. If she vanished tomorrow, it would be like no one had ever lived there.

She had allegiances to no one before serving Arago – he gained nothing in that fashion by taking her on, unless it was something she had not been told about, which served no purpose. Such alliances would prove valuable in her dealings with other demons. If he had gained in such a manner and even now refused to trust her with the knowledge, then what was the reason for his distrust, especially after everything she had done for him?

"I could just _ask_ him." She pictured herself walking up to him on his throne and asking, _'Where did I come from?'_

"Probably some hole in the wall of some slum. Demons with special powers come from all over the place. Maybe I was just some urchin Badamon scried or something…" That would explain why she had no memories of a life before Arago.

She chuckled at the ridiculous idea of Badamon down in the dirt of some slum picking up a toddler or a baby covered in sludge. She certainly could not picture Arago doing it. Or some Youja bringing a squalling infant to either of them to deal with.

' _Disgusting. Humans and all their ilk.'_

She put her head in her hands and squished her eyes shut. The vision returned, clear as day, but the scene was different than the one she thought of.

_The sneer on Badamon's face as he wandered her burned out village, eyeing the corpses in the street like he would eye grime on his robes. Screams filled the air and he was in clear sight of people getting cut down, but he did not even flinch. And Arago laughed at it all._

Her fingers tightened in her hair as the awful sound filled her mind.

"It doesn't make any sense that this happens now! What's even the point of it all?" She cried out in the silence of her room, as if the walls might provide her with an answer. Perhaps Shutendoji attempted to brainwash his enemies to confuse them and take them out of play. Badamon screwed with all sorts of people that way. He had pulled tricks on the Demon Mashou to make them toe the line over the years.,

She opened her eyes.

_But he never did that to me. He… Arago would have to order him to do that. I've always been loyal. He would have no reason to do such a thing…_

_"_ Unless... I wasn't, once." Her grip on her bangs loosened and she put her hands down. "If Badamon used his powers on me, I wouldn't _know_. And if this is real – and I _still_ don't think it is – then that would be a reason to rebel."

She had no concept of a family. The only people she was close to were Arago and Badamon. One was her lord and the other was a teacher who became more annoying over time to the point where she attempted to ignore his existence. She had new underlings frequently and no peers to bond with. She was a loner and she liked it that way. Or she had not cared enough to change things.

But she was starting to remember her… parents. When she focused on them, a flood of memories came to her. _Walking on a riverbed and picking up sparkling stones with her father. Seeing her power materialize for the first time during meditation with her mother and the joy in her mother's eyes. The doll her mother made for her. Walking to the store for food with her parents. Falling and getting hurt when she played with other children and being patched up by one of them a number of times. Being tucked into bed at night. Hearing stories about their village's history. Riding on her father's shoulders as he carried her around. Smiles. Hugs._

_Her father went to fight the invaders with steel. Her mother with her spiritual powers, which Kayura had inherited. They told her to hide in the house, away from the fighting. But she was young and curious. So she peeked out of the building and saw her parents cut down by monsters with spears. Her father fell first as he attempted to protect a fallen comrade. He was stabbed in the back and fell to the ground, looking towards his home as he died. Kayura looked back. She heard her mother cry out and a burst of purple light filled the area, killing many of the nearby soldiers. It took five waves of soldiers before her mother was overwhelmed and fell beneath their spears, screaming curses at them all the while._

_Her younger self screamed. Bright red eyes turned to look at her and she scrabbled back into the house and was reaching for the spare weapons, which she was still too young to use, but it was too late._

Her face was wet with tears. She touched her cheeks to feel them there, surprised. She had killed many people in her life and seen mourning families sob and kneel in the dirt, often before they were cut down themselves, and felt nothing herself. Physical pain was different and this was so much worse than that. It was something she had forgotten for so very long and now…

"I _had_ a family once... I had friends. A home. A _real_ home. I can remember the faces of the other villagers. What the buildings looked like. What it smelled like." Her head hurt, as if her mind was at war with itself. She had confronted enemies who used far weaker versions of the manipulative spells Badamon used on the minds of others in an attempt to destroy or distract her. Training had let her work through the murky feeling it created and she could recognize it falling apart.

"But I was _content_ here…" _Wasn't I?_ After all her years in Arago's service she found it difficult to actually find attachment to this place and the people… the _demons_ who lived there. In fact, it was easier to distance herself from them.

 _If I was happy, then why was I angry all these years?_ Her ferocity on the battlefield was notorious. Even her harsh gaze could terrify many a foe. She was ferocious in combat and leapt at the opportunity to prove herself. The only reason Ryo had lasted so long was because she had been bored for almost as long as she had been fighting and had done her best to prolong the fight by going easy on him. After her training had officially ended and she began her time on the battlefield, no one had been much of a challenge for her. She had cut a swathe through Arago's enemies and kept on, spreading his territory further and further outward from his fortress.

But it had never been enough. There was an emptiness in her life she had covered up with anger and rage and fighting. Every night she went to bed restless and woke up with a greater thirst for battle, always wondering why her face was tear-stained so very many mornings…

_By killing the demons I'm avenging my family…_

"I don't have a family!" She rubbed her eyes. "It's a trick. It _has_ to be." Kaos could create illusions, just like Badamon and Rajura. She had seen the result of his work in the form of Shutendoji. Who knew what things he did to make the former Demon Mashou rearrange his loyalties just like that? Everyone lied. It was a way of life. Those in power lied to convince others to follow them. Kaos had been second in power only to Arago and Shutendoji seemed keen on following in his footsteps. This 'family' plot seemed rather creative for him. After all, why not offer power of some kind rather than painful memories as an incentive to get her to switch sides, like many of her enemies had over the centuries; but it _had_ unsettled her. Perhaps _that_ was the point.

 _But even if it_ is _simply an illusion, how can I trust anything else? It felt so real._ Feels _so real._

She put her hands down and looked at the ceiling again. "I had a family," she repeated. It was a bit like grasping at straws, but the memories were stronger than they had been. The pain from them was sharp.

_My village wasn't paradise, but it was happy. We were peaceful people. Humans. But we were also people who could fight off demons, which is why Arago came for us. To destroy Kaos and anyone like him."_

_Kaos didn't save them! That's why they're gone!_

_But I didn't fight for them, either…_

_I was only a child! What was I supposed to do?_

A surge of memory pushed aside the childish cries. _Badamon leered at her as the guards dragged her before him. "One of the villagers… And she has a spark like Kaos. Since the fool isn't here himself,_ she _might help us learn more about Kaos' powers in order to use them against him someday."_

_"And if not," Arago said, a towering red monster in the darkness of her memories, "She'll still strike fear into the hearts of my enemies."_

_"We'll have to train her well, so that she doesn't turn on us… A few good spells should do the trick."_

Kayura stared once more at the ceiling. _That… how did I forget that?_

It was the end of the spells he had placed on her so many years ago. The power that had leapt from the shakujo to her burned it away and filled her with warmth. Protective spells Badamon had placed on her room to encourage the continuance of his magic over her mind burned away. The room became brighter without the weight of extra demonic energy.

As for Kayura, her memories cleared into a more understandable linear fashion. She remembered her terrified journey from her home to the demon realm. Remembered the careful ministrations Badamon had for her over the years to keep her in line. Remembered every time Arago and Badamon had looked at her oddly, as if she might snap and start acting out.

"Badamon… I could strangle that insufferable little monster for everything he's done! And kill Arago while I'm at it!" She clapped a hand over her mouth at the words and looked around quickly, fearful that someone had heard her. To speak such things! It was traitorous to even think, let alone voice.

But nothing happened. No guards jumped out of the walls. Neither Arago nor Badamon appeared and attacked her.

Her hand fell and she laughed. "If nothing else, there's that ruckus from before, keeping them busy." It was nervous laughter, but it broke something in her. Like she'd been holding her breath all this time and the laugh finally made her breathe.

And hating Arago… it felt _right_ somehow. She sat back on her bed while she sorted through her muddled feelings.

"Kaos _didn't_ save my family. I don't owe him anything, really." In point of fact, she didn't really know him. Arago wanted her to hate him, as one of _his_ enemies, but that no longer mattered. "And I… Badamon kept me stuck on the Front for distraction all these years. They weren't stupid enough to have me fight the Yoroi Senshi or go after Kaos. I might just remember, especially when Kaos reappeared. Only now it's Shutendoji, and maybe Arago figured it wouldn't matter… Seems Arago has been setting up castles in the air for some time now. Mind control just isn't that precise an art, after all."

She sighed. "And they're so melodramatic." Her eyes were moist. "They took so much from me… and it was just a joke. A gambit. And what have I done? All these years I killed demons who did terrible things to people, yes, but at the behest of the true monsters. I was proud to serve them. Proud to stand up in their ranks. I _sought_ their praise, especially Arago's."

"But what do I do?" She looked down. "I can't just kill either of them on my own. I don't have that kind of power. Maybe if I had stayed and learned more of the ways of my people… but that just didn't happen. No, there's no point in wasting my time with maybes and what-might-have-beens. Shutendoji has Kaos' power and he and the Yoroi Senshi are trying to destroy Arago and Badamon and end _all_ of this. If I join them, I can lend them my power and make sure they finish the deed and get revenge for my family and my lost past. And then…"

She stood and squared her shoulders. "Then is _then_. Now is the time to fight."

* * *

"I take it that the venture was unsuccessful."

The last thing Badamon wanted to do was turn around to face Arago after looking through his seeing mirror for the Demon Mashou and Yoroi Senshi. He had watched the failure of his plan. Felt the deaths of the Nether Spirits he had expended in the venture. Kayura had faded from his sight and he could not find her, no matter what he did. He had no Nether Spirits to send looking for her and the nearest Youja were dealing with the rebellion. He would check her chambers after he left, but as of yet he feared leaving Arago's presence without the demon lord's say. On top of that, the Demon Mashou… well, they were returning, but not to Arago's side.

"Forgive me, my lord," Badamon began, "Might I suggest—?"

"No," Arago said. "Much as we have striven to prevent this day, it is come. Kaos is gone, but new enemies come to face me. I am done with tricks and plots. It is time we stood up to our enemies once and for all. Go. Face them yourself. Prove to me that you can stand up to such an attack and perhaps even take some of them down. Or do not bother coming back."

"But my lord, what of Kayura?"

"If you find her, find out what she is up to. But do not destroy her. If your training has failed, then we must restart the program. Her powers are too valuable for me to simply throw away."

Badamon bowed himself out.

* * *

As the Yoroi Senshi, former Demon Mashou, Byakuen and Tsuri continued their journey through the castle, mostly unmolested, Shutendoji remained on the lookout for Kayura, although the way the shakujo had clearly caused her pain left him unsettled.

_Kaos' power is meant to ward off demons, but it should have made her back away rather than simply hurt her. Especially since it would not allow me to directly attack her. But why? She works for Arago. She's…_

He came up with a blank in relation to Kayura.

_I've known her for centuries. There must be something I've forgotten. Something…_

The shakujo glowed and memories surged. A young child – a pure human - being brought to the castle near when he had first entered into Arago's service. He had still been mastering his armor and learning how to control demons and strike fear into their hearts. The child had been merely a mild curiosity. Children were nothing. Striking fear in _adults_ had been his interest, for their fears were far more profound and imaginative. So he ignored her, forgetting her until she grew up and was sent away to gain glory for Arago elsewhere.

_Where did she come from? I always thought she was like us: enchanted by Arago. I should have tried to stop her before she ran. To heal her, like the Demon Mashou. But unlike them, she does not have the armor to rely on to bring her back to the light. The purity of Kaos' power is nowhere in her. She is simply a corrupted mortal._

_But then… where comes her power? It is no gift from Arago. She is nearly as powerful as a Demon Mashou, yet wears no armor._

_She is powerful against demons. The only combat I have seen her enter against humans was recently, when she fought Ryo and Touma. She beat them, but… something is wrong here. If she were simply a corrupted human, the shakujo should have let me strike out at her, to purify what was there._

_But it did strike out, didn't it? The noise it made to hurt her. It struck at_ something _, at least. Perhaps whatever control Arago and Badamon exert over her. I have only destroyed demons, not purified the possessed. Even for the other Demon Mashou… Perhaps_ this _is that process. And Kayura_ must _be saved. For what purpose I do not know, but if she is as much as a victim as the rest of us, then I must do what I can._

"-known Utako for most of my life," Tsuri said to Shu, who was curious. "She was best friends with my mother. They used to be neighbors. When Arago's forces came to our homeland, she refused to stand down. Arago's people had to beat her into submission, and he kept Utako and her lieutenants alive as examples to others."

"Have you tried to rescue them before?" Shu asked.

Tsuri avoided Shu's eyes. "Yes. A number of times. Only once before did I ever make it close to the prison. Its aura fills nearby areas. It's unsettling. I was nearly dragged in myself before some friends saved me and dragged me away to recover. Some of them died in the attempt." She shook her head. "To finally succeed after all this time… it feels amazing."

"Is that the only prison Arago had?"

"There are others all over the place," Tsuri replied. "But none as bad as that one. Utako will likely dismantle some of them as she moves her people through the place, and Dara will likely do the same. Some of our people will also come through the tears to help in the rebellion, and they'll get as many prisoners out as they can. If it's one thing Arago never wanted for, it was places to stick people to torture for his own amusement. He likes power and showing it off."

"After all we've been dealing with all summer," Shu said, "I thought that was _all_ demons wanted. The ones who weren't simple sadists. I didn't realize that there was a whole world over here, filled with people who just wanted their lives back."

Tsuri smiled. "That's an accurate summation of things. We're not all like Arago." She looked at him thoughtfully. "But what do _you_ do in your world? Are you a demon hunter?"

"Well…"

They ran into another large courtyard and Rajura came to a halt. The former Demon Mashou searched the empty air around them, unsettled. The others stopped behind him and Shutendoji looked up as Badamon materialized in the air above, leering down at them all.

"Like mice to cheese," he said with a smile. "You idiots really do know nothing about anything." He had always excelled at masking his aura. It helped that what Nether Spirits he had left were not gathered around him, but rather patrolling nearby.

"Who's that?" Touma asked, quietly.

"A demon who clearly doesn't like us," Shin replied.

"Who's very good at hiding himself," Seiji said, unsettled by being caught in the dark. Wandering the Nether Realm was confusing enough without demons hiding themselves in plain sight. _I've been getting ahead of myself, thinking I've mastered this whole 'sensing spiritual auras' thing. Clearly I have a long way to go._

"You cannot fight all of us, Badamon," Anubis declared, stepping forward. "We hold most of Arago's power here with us. You cannot stand up to that."

"Then why not simply destroy me rather than bandy away the time? Oh, I know…" he raised his arms and the air filled with Nether Spirits. They swirled around the group as they chanted, casting spells that pressed down on the group and made it difficult to breathe. This was Badamon's emergency cache of spirits. They were his oldest and strongest. He originally kept them hidden inside a small mirror he always wore in case a time came to make a break from Arago, but it seemed like the end of his time had already come, albeit in a different form than he expected. He used them now and vowed that, if nothing else, he would take a number of his enemies with him before he fell.

Shutendoji raised the shakujo. The area filled with light and the Nether Spirits screamed in pain. Many of them disappeared, but more came.

"You should have paid more attention to Kaos when he pulled that trick, Shutendoji," Badamon replied. "It did him no good, either. Now return to Arago's side, before you suffer his fate."

"We will die either way," Naaza said, casting his surefire kill at the monster. It missed, but struck at numerous Nether Spirits, destroying them. Rajura and Anubis joined him. The air filled with sticky web that was quickly shrouded in darkness, suffocating many of the Nether Spirits.

"If you think that will work, I can simply call more!" Badamon threatened.

"And if they were alone, that might be a problem!" Seiji called, using his surefire kill to cut through more enemies. Shin and Shu joined him, leaving Shutendoji, Touma, Ryo and Tsuri in the light of the shakujo.

Badamon eyed them curiously. _So, my plan did something, at least. The bearer of the Shiroi Kikotei is useless for now. If I capture him-!_

* * *

Kayura had sensed power gathering mixed with the now familiar power of Kaos and ran towards it. No one had attacked her on her way. Arago had not sent guards after her. The primary castle was nearly deserted. She reasoned that most of Arago's underlings were dealing with the rebellion she'd spotted earlier. She did not waste her time and got out as quickly as possible. If Arago chose to show up himself to come after her, she did not know what would happen and did not care to find out.

She finally approached the swarm of Nether Spirits and took in the scene. Badamon was manipulating things, calling more minions as the Yoroi Senshi and former Demon Mashou dispatched them. But he was also distracted, focusing on the enemies before him and their attacks and nothing else.

She hesitated. Years of training and obeying Arago and Badamon's orders called to her. She had already disobeyed Arago by not reporting to him after her failed attempt to capture the Yoroi Senshi earlier. Attacking Badamon would not be something she could go back from as easily as that.

The glow of the shakujo called to her, reminding her of what the demon had cost her. Doubt fled her mind.

"Ran Sei Zan!"

Purple lightning shot through the demon's chest and he crumpled to the ground. Without his power to control them, the Nether Spirits rushed back into the mirror. As Badamon fell, the mirror hit the ground and shattered. The demon dissolved.

* * *

Arago remained on his throne, meditating and preparing himself for the coming battle. He knew he was losing much. That destroying Kaos had not led to the end of his problems.

But he was Arago. He refused to run in fear from anyone or anything.

He felt Badamon die. The spells the demon had set around the castle for protection faded. A portion of his soldiers, created by Badamon himself, screamed over their connection to Arago as they vanished from existence. Even now, Arago could hear the cheers of his upstart former prisoners as they continued to run amok through his fortress. His soldiers on the outskirts of the labyrinth were also in disarray. The core of his empire was falling into ruin.

Arago only smiled.

* * *

The Yoroi Senshi and former Demon Mashou lowered their weapons and looked to the newcomer. As their attacks cleared, Kayura became clearly visible. She stared back at them coldly, though her face was pale and a bit shaken from what she had done. She also looked tired. As if she had gone through quite the ordeal. Her hair was mussed and her eyes were bleary. The laughing smile was gone. But there was a sense of purpose about her.

"So we meet again," she said, looking at Shutendoji.

"What do you want, Kayura?" Touma asked, glaring back at her and aiming an arrow right at her heart.

"Now that Badamon is dead, I seek to kill Arago," she replied. "And then I may seek to return to my home in the human realm. Or what is left of it."

Touma lowered his bow. "What?"

"I knew you were human," Shutendoji said, stepping forward. "But somehow… I had forgotten. Badamon's tricks, no doubt. Shielding one of Kaos' heirs from my sight. He did so love his games. That's what you are, isn't it? Someone with power like Kaos. That's why I can't attack you. The shakujo will not attack one of its own."

"Badamon and Kaos destroyed my home and took me prisoner when I was young," Kayura replied. "They have used me all these years, and now only half of it has been repaid. Your shakujo removed the veil from my eyes. Though it was… _is…_ a painful journey. I shall help you if I can."

"You've got to be kidding," Seiji said. "The last time we were here, all of you people wanted to kill us. Now that we're back, first we get rescued by a demon, find out someone formerly working for Arago is now Kaos 2.0, then the Demon Mashou turn traitor and now this? _You_ ," he glared at Touma, "said _she_ ," he pointed his no-dachi at Kayura, "beat you and Ryo up royally, _twice_ , and now she's saying she's on our side, too? Do any of you people… Ugh!" He threw up his arms and walked away, fuming.

Kayura raised an eyebrow. "He's touchy."

Shutendoji smiled. "If you mean what you say, it will mean much towards amending that. You defeated Badamon for us. You mean to go on?"

"As I said," she replied, "I mean to destroy Arago. If helping you is a means to that, I shall do it."

"The shakujo senses Kaos' ancestry in you," he said. "We have a plan that will require the use of my Ogre armor in the upcoming fight. Since wearing the armor precludes my use of Kaos' powers, I assumed that we would be without them during that battle. But I feel that this is fate. _You_ should have his robes during that fight."

"You cannot be serious. I have never… I know nothing of his powers. I may be somehow related to him, or simply part of the same community, but I do not have the experience…"

"Then perhaps it will simply augment your already powerful capabilities," he replied. "Please. It cannot hurt to try."

She frowned. "Very well."

"Don't you think this is jumping to conclusions a bit fast?" Tsuri asked, stepping in. The pair looked at her. "You're going to pass all of Kaos' badassery to someone who until _very_ recently was our enemy and Arago's… well, either his right or left hand. The opposite of whichever one Badamon is…was." She glanced at the spot where the sorcerer had fallen, still pale from the shock. "How do you know this isn't just some trick to steal that power from you?"

"A demonic heart could not bear the power of Kaos," Shutendoji replied. "If Kayura were truly evil, it would destroy her. If she is still under the influence, it may hurt her a little," something that made Kayura frown even further, "But it will not kill her. And it will not let her use it against us. More likely than not, it will remove the remains of Badamon and Arago's influence on her and we will have gained a powerful ally. There is no losing scenario for us in this case."

Tsuri sighed. "Fine then. I'll just stay next to the Yoroi Senshi if you don't mind." She made good on her word. And if that meant standing next to Shu rather than next to one of the others, well then.

Shutendoji looked back at Kayura. She stared back calmly. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "But if this is the best way to defeat Arago, along with some poetic justice thrown in, then it doesn't matter. I shall go through with it."

Shutendoji bowed his head and held out the shakujo to her.

She wrapped her hands around the staff.

Light filled the area and the others shielded their eyes. Tsuri cried out and Shu grabbed her and put his back to the light to protect her from the blast. The light was like fire. The Demon Mashou also winced in some pain. Arago's taint had not been _entirely_ removed by their experience with the Shiroi Kikotei. The removal of the rest was agonizing.

* * *

Kayura gasped as she felt the power of the shakujo link with her own power and wrap around her in a warm blanket of golden light. Her armor burned at the shakujo's touch. Patterns of protection colored with Badamon's sickly blue-purple-brown aura and spells filled with words like 'forget' and 'obedience' fled from her as it burned away.

_Of course... Badamon gave me this armor. It would be stupid to not leave extra spells on something I would wear almost all the time, on top of whatever it is he did to my mind directly._

Her weapons were also destroyed. She felt more naked without them than she had her armor. No one had gotten close enough to her in centuries to make her fear for her own skin. Her weapons were the way she made her mark on the world. What was she without them?

A hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see the familiar form of an older woman with Kayura's own blue hair and eyes who was dressed in a casual dress she would wear around their home. The other woman's face was full of love and pride. She pulled away to stand beside a man of similar years wearing a soldier's uniform, but with the same loving look in his eyes.

Kayura's eyes clouded. "Mother! Father!" She looked around to see the villagers she had known in her youth fill the area. They stood in a green clearing filled with sunshine that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Kayura looked down at herself and saw that she wore an adult priestess uniform she had seen when she was younger. It was what her mother had often worn. _What I would have worn if my life had not been stolen from me..._

"It's been a long time, Kayura."

She turned once more and took a step back at the sight of Kaos himself. Gone was his familiar hat and he held no shakujo in his hands. He seemed a strangely small man without them and his golden eyes were tired. His face was lined with his many years of service. But he still smiled at her. He radiated power that called to her own.

"It's your duty now, Kayura," Kaos said. "You must help defeat Arago once and for all. I wish we could be with you for it. But we will be watching. Are you prepared to take on this task? Will you? You can always step back from it, should you choose."

"But there's no one else to take it on," she said. "The Yoroi Senshi and the Demon Mashou and the smattering of rebels around Arago's fortress... In the end, he's more cunning than all of them. They may vanquish him for a time, but he will return. And many of his destroyers will die in the attempt."

"But that needn't be your concern," her mother said, calling Kayura's attention once more. "You are still confused. You have confronted much in so short a time. You could leave this place and find your own peace first. Master your powers. All of our knowledge rests within the shakujo, and now inside _you_." She reached out and touched the space over Kayura's heart. "With it, you could start a new village. Build up power against the time when Arago returns. Properly train the bearers of the nine armors. _Then_ confront Arago once and for all."

Kayura looked down at the shakujo. It was wrapped in spells and memories. The life of her people rested within her hands, calling to her. The Yoroi Senshi were young and just learning how to use their powers. The former Demon Mashou had to unlearn much of what they once new, and were thus almost as bad off. They had so little chance against Arago. Retreating and returning at a later date sounded like a much better idea than pressing on.

"But many people will die."

Kayura looked up to see Shutendoji standing there. He wore his sub-yoroi and his expression was grim. "Arago will not stop after we escape. Badamon's absence may hinder him, but he is still strong. Give him another chance and he may come back even stronger than he was before, especially since he will probably get back into things _directly_ without so many underlings to enforce his laziness. Are the potential lives lost worth our fear?"

"And how many will perish if you continue as you are?" Kayura's father responded. "You may all very well die in this attempt. Then who will continue with our teachings? Arago is not the _sole_ threat to life on this planet. Our people worked to protect our corner of the world. With the gap created by our absence further worsened by your deaths, who knows what horrors could rampage across Japan, let alone the rest of the Earth? Kayura at least must survive to pass our teachings on to others and find and train those with spiritual power to continue our work."

"Silence!" An old woman stepped forward from the crowd and touched Kayura's arm. Kayura frowned at her. Her form flickered between a very small, ancient woman, to a plump young priestess. Both had the same hard glare she directed at the others. She radiated power like Kaos. "You bicker like children and forget that the world continues to spin even if the dead do not rely on it."

She turned back to Kayura to smile brightly at her. "You would not remember me, child," the woman said. "I passed on shortly after your birth. I promised my daughter I would live to see my grandchild, and I did. But not much more. I am ashamed that I was not there to aid you or protect our people when the time came, but I lived a very long, good life." She leaned in to say, quietly, "My advice is to listen to your own heart. Your upbringing's been rough, to say the least, but I sense that there's more to you than demon trickery. Our family has always been full of spitfires, and I think you're no different. What does your instinct tell you to do?"

Kayura looked around once more, then tightened her grip on the shakujo. "I would go out and fight. I don't run from battles. Or at least... I'm tired of running from them. I may not know my full responsibilities yet or what to do, but I have good guides." She nodded at Shutendoji. "And I am rather good at what I do." She grinned mischievously. "There's a reason my reputation is as notorious as it is. I'll help the armor bearers. I'll help defeat Arago. His reign of death and terror ends now."

Her grandmother nodded. "Speaking like my granddaughter should." She patted Kayura on the cheek and backed up into the crowd once more.

"We will always be here for you," Kaos said as Kayura turned back to him. He was still smiling. "You need only ask."

"Thank you," she replied.

* * *

When the light cleared, Shutendoji stood in his Ogre armor and looked upon Kayura in the robes Kaos had once worn. She held the shakujo easily, as if she always had. She smiled. "I feel… lighter somehow, as if a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Yet also so very weighed down at the same time." She looked at the shakujo, feeling the raw power focused inside it. Arago and Badamon had never known what they dealt with or what Kaos had held back. Now that she had her hands on the power, she knew a bit of why he had done so.

 _I have a lot of learning to do..._ "This power is a great burden."

"So it is," Shutendoji replied, a touch of sadness in his eyes. "But you were clearly meant to bear it."

Kayura nodded. "That is true. But the path is not closed to you, Shutendoji. I still only stand with a newcomer's feet in this. When this is done, I shall turn to you for guidance. And perhaps together we can continue my people's work."

Shutendoji smiled. "I would like that very much. I look forward to it."

"Ungh… can't you people be quiet for five minutes?"

They all turned to see Ryo sitting up on Byakuen's back. The tiger roared in delight and spun in an attempt to see him, making the senshi fall off.

"Idiot tiger!" Ryo called as he pushed himself into a sitting position from the ground. "You trying to kill me?"

"Ryo!" Touma grinned and helped him up. "You all right?"

"If everyone would just leave me alone for a minute or two," the red senshi replied, dusting himself off and blinking in the sunlight. He looked around. "Okay, I must be seeing things. The others are back? Why are the Demon Mashou here? And we're not fighting? And…" he spotted Kayura by Shutendoji and frowned. "Who…?" When he recognized her his eyes widened. "What the-? Kayura!"

Seiji walked up and patted him on the shoulder. "It's a long explanation."

"Well don't do the stupid bright light thing again!" Tsuri yelled. She stood up and brushed herself off. "Some of us aren't in moving metal cages of protection!" Her hair smoked a little and her face was very red, much like Shu's face as he tried to pull her away to cool off.

"I'm sorry about that, Tsuri," Shutendoji said. She simply glared at him in response and walked away with Shu.

Ryo frowned at them. "What's _that_ about?"


	17. Together

"You want to do _what?_ "

The Yoroi Senshi, former Demon Mashou, Kayura and Shutendoji were waiting for Tsuri to get back with reports from Dara and Utako. A few confused Youja had run their way and been shortly dealt with. The large group lounged in the area where Badamon had fallen. Shu and Rajura kept watch.

Although the only real enemy they had to deal with now was Arago and they would _all_ know if _he_ showed up.

They were otherwise ranged around as Seiji, Touma and Shutendoji explained everything to a very irritated and confused Ryo, now standing up with his hands balled into fists and Byakuen close at his side. The last explanation of their 'plan' against Arago had distracted the red senshi enough to make him stop glaring at Kayura.

"Well…" Touma began, trying not to look at him, and instead looking vaguely up in the air. "It's not like we're going to really _do_ anything. Not like we even know how… It's kind of a last-ditch hope. It should kind of just… happen?"

"Oh that's _much_ better," Ryo replied.

"Stop whining," Anubis said from where he was sitting. "When we summon the armor that way, it may go to someone else. Someone who can _handle_ the power."

"Good luck with that," Shin replied with a chilling smile as he looked at the former Demon Mashou. "At least Ryo has worn the Shiroi Kikotei a few times. You _never_ have, extra experience or not. I'd love to see you in it, first time. And watch as it melts you into the ground, since it burns hotter than Ryo's Rekka armor, which is like a volcano."

"Shin-" Touma said, reaching out.

The light blue Senshi knocked the hand aside and glared at his friend. "No! We've had them along for a while now. We haven't done anything to deal with all the things they did to us in the past and it's not just stuff you can brush aside. And do they apologize after they've come to their senses? No. They just do their same insulting jabber at us, like we're dirt. Well here's a hint," he turned back to the former Demon Mashou, who were all looking at him now, "you people have _no_ idea how to use the Shiroi Kikotei! You don't know what it's like. For once, _you_ are out of your depth, and we _aren't_. At least as much as you are. So know _your_ place."

He glared back at Anubis, who snorted and looked away, but said nothing.

Shu walked over and patted Shin's arm before he whispered, "Way to go buddy. Now chill before that anger of yours gets somebody killed, okay?"

Shin rolled his eyes.

"It's a fool's gambit, anyway," Seiji said. "We have no idea how to summon it, so it'll probably only happen if we're lucky. For now, we rely on the regular Shiroi Kikotei."

Ryo sighed and rubbed his neck. "Whatever. It's not like I haven't been tempting fate every time I wear that stupid armor, anyway."

"Are you all right?" Seiji asked.

"I'm fine, really. Well I won't be running any marathons any time soon, but yeah, whatever that light was, whether it was Kaos' power or… whatever, I feel a lot better."

Kayura stepped forward, grabbing his attention. He frowned at her, but she stopped right in front of him and looked him in the eyes. Seiji reached for his weapon, but Shutendoji put a hand on his arm. The green senshi glared at him, but Shutendoji was focused on Kayura.

She looked oddly small in Kaos' former garb. She had removed the hat while they waited and held it in her empty hand. There was a determined look on her face, even if she held the shakujo sometimes like it might break if she moved it incorrectly. But there was strong conviction in her eyes. "If Kaos' power healed you, perhaps I could go further with it and prepare you for the upcoming battle."

Ryo put his hands up in a warding off gesture and backed away. "Um, thanks, but no thanks? The last time you used something on me, I got mobbed by Nether Spirits and almost died."

Kayura bowed her head. "I understand. But I have Kaos' power now. If I truly meant you harm, I would not be able to wear this," she gestured to her outfit. "Shutendoji would still have it. And this," she held up the shakujo, "would either still be in his hands or blackened and rusted from touching my own. I understand the pain you have been put through and what I have done to you." She looked up so that he could see the conflict in her eyes. The confusion. She was still trying to deal with all the weirdness going on, just like the Yoroi Senshi. "But _you_ have to understand that I _want_ to defeat Arago, too, and that _trust_ has to start somewhere. _You_ want to prove that you are better than demons, especially Arago and his ilk. So prove yourself."

 _Fight!_ The armor wanted Kayura's blood, even now. The voice was the softest it had ever been, and Ryo only assumed it was because of the nearness of Kaos'-no, _Kayura's_ -power. He looked at Touma, who gave no sign and offered no advice.

He looked back at her. "I _have_ started somewhere. I didn't suit up when I woke up and found my friends and allies hanging out with known enemies. People who have tried to kill me various times. We trusted Kaos when we knew next to nothing about him. We trusted Shutendoji. Tsuri. Dara. Whoever this… Utako person is… I'm currently wearing something I understand very little about, that could very well kill me and the people I care about and anyone unlucky enough to get in my way. I am tired and hungry and now I'm on a suicide mission to kill Arago. _Again_. Because it's the right thing to do. I've _started_ somewhere. Forgive me if I'm just not all that ready to let someone who tried to kill me only a short while ago get up close and personal."

Kayura could feel the warmth from his armor, even in his sub-yoroi. To her eyes, he glowed bright red.

"Before today," she replied, "I would not have imagined letting you live. I could have killed you earlier. That's not a threat. It's truth. We're allies now. I am putting my life on the line as much as you by taking your side against Arago. Kaos may have been Arago's match, but I am no Kaos. I am untrained in using his abilities. Healing you increases my chances of surviving the coming battles. And it increases your friends' chances of survival."

Ryo sighed, stared at her for a moment, then shut his eyes. "Fine. Do it before I change my mind."

She reached out to his forehead, but didn't quite touch her fingers to his skin.

Ryo's various aches and pains faded when Kayura reached out, using the same light from earlier, albeit in a somewhat weaker form. He felt more awake and all-around better than he had in some time. Whatever it was made him feel warm. Not in the way his armor did, but with a gentle sense of mental peace. It helped that the Shiroi Kikotei was silent.

When he opened his eyes, she was smiling at him. It was an actually contented smile and it looked a little odd on her. She clearly hadn't smiled like that often and _he'd_ certainly never seen her do it, though he had only met her twice before. But he found himself smiling back. "That…that helped a lot. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"So what precisely are our general plans for Arago?" Rajura asked, bored with the scene. "Just go in and smash him with everything we've got? No traps? Strategies? Anything?"

"Well there's not much to plan," Ryo replied. "If we summon the Shiroi Kikotei, possibly with some extra punch," he glanced at Touma, who nodded, "and I attack him, he has the option of dodging, dying or blocking the attack. If he blocks, which probably won't happen, then we're dead anyway, and subterfuge is only putting off the inevitable. So all we have to worry about is his dodging. In which case I guess I'll keep trying until I hit him. Or die in the attempt."

"Or he _kills_ you," Anubis commented. "No wonder you always lose if 'hit until you land a blow' is your strategy."

"Thanks for the _help_ , Anubis," Touma commented, "But please shut up. In point of fact, I have an idea on how to deal with Arago's ability to move." He looked pointedly at Kayura.

"What?" She asked.

"When we fought you and the Demon Mashou earlier, Shutendoji used Kaos' power to trap the Demon Mashou. Perhaps you could do the same thing, but on a larger scale."

"But I only just received this power," Kayura replied, "And Arago is a lot more than the Demon Mashou to control, if only size-wise. Power-wise, who's to say he won't just cut his way out?"

"I can help teach you at least a little before we head into the fray," Shutendoji stepped in and caught her eyes. He smiled kindly. "Kaos should be able to help you after that. You're strong. You can do it."

"But hold him down?" She asked, hesitant.

"The rest of us can distract him," Touma said. "Even if we can't all summon the special Shiroi Kikotei, the Demon Mashou can fight him in the meantime, hopefully with some help from our various allies. Then we just attack him with the regular Shiroi Kikotei. If we do this right, it will be fast enough that you shouldn't have to hold him long."

"And if it doesn't work?" Rajura asked, "What then?"

"We keep trying until it does, or die trying," Seiji replied. "But feel free to run and save yourself when you feel the need."

"A back-up plan is never a bad thing to have," Naaza replied.

"What else is there?" Seiji demanded. "Kaos tried ordinary means of attack _and_ purification. That failed. None of us can defeat him on our own—"

"And the Shiroi Kikotei failed to defeat him before," Rajura interrupted. "What makes you think it will work this time, when he's more powerful?"

"He won't have our armors this time," Touma replied. "Or yours. Kayura and Kaos' power is on our side."

"I am overwhelmed with confidence," Naaza replied harshly.

"We have a back-up," Ryo said. The others looked at him. "You've told me. I've said it. The nine armors form the Shiroi Kikotei, or whatever they are combined. And I attack Arago with that combined power."

 _Why does it not sound the same when_ you _say it…?_ Then Touma remembered who he was thinking about and mentally smacked himself on the forehead. "Ryo," Touma said, "Like I've said, not only do we not know if that's possible, but you probably wouldn't survive. Perhaps none of us would. It's not something we should depend on."

"If the Shiroi Kikotei fails, we're dead anyway," Ryo said. "Arago will absorb us again or kill us while we're weak, if he doesn't just brainwash us into his slaves first. Then he'll go after the rest of the world."

"I know, Ryo," Touma cringed. "I just-"

"It was your idea!"

_And I regret it already…_

"We're in good stead," Tsuri commented, coming around a corner into the area. "Apparently we have more allies than we thought. Dara and Utako have cleared out large chunks of Youja." She looked around thoughtfully, taking in the guarded looks and glares. "So, what's the next step? I can go give Dara and Utako the go-ahead if we're ready."

"We're ready," Ryo said, looking at Touma."

"No we're not!" Touma and Shutendoji said at once.

Seiji stepped forward, "Guys, come on…"

"This lunatic is suicidal!" Touma said, looking at Seiji. "I'd think that you'd be pretty upset about that."

Seiji looked down. "He's not planning on running away. We've known all along what this might cost. As long as we're in it together, and it's for the protection of others – the _right_ reasons – I don't have a problem with his attitude." He looked at Ryo with a hard gaze. "That's true, right?"

Ryo nodded.

Naaza backed up. "You idiots can get _yourselves_ killed then! I'm not following you!"

"And you'll flee where?" Shin demanded. "Arago will find you. Alone. Who knows what he'll do then?"

"Naaza, we have to go with them," Anubis stepped towards his comrade and caught his eyes. "There's the chance that we'll come out of this just fine. But if we run, that chance is next to nothing."

"But it's still a chance!"

"You sound like a coward," Rajura scoffed.

"Don't pretend you're not thinking the same thing!" Naaza replied.

Kayura stepped towards them. "Listen to yourselves! This is part of why you so frequently fail: bickering amongst yourselves like fools. Don't you want to destroy Arago and avenge yourselves? Have you forgotten so quickly? This is your chance, here and now. Will you run from that?"

Naaza looked down. "I value my life. Is that so terrible?"

"No," Ryo replied, surprising them all. "Life is precious. To love life is a good thing. It can keep you going, even when things get rough. We don't want to die." He looked at Touma calmly. " _I_ don't want to die. But I want to protect those who cannot fight for their own lives. As I have been protected." He looked back at Naaza. "And like you, I want to fight for myself. To free myself of Arago and his evil. Forever. You're not alone, Naaza." He glanced back at Touma and smiled. _I wonder if whatever Kayura did messed with my head. I'm being_ nice _to a Demon Mashou…_ He looked at her and she smiled back. _Well… we do have to fight together, anyway. Trying to bite Kayura's head off was a stupid move. And she seems far more willing to be friendly than the Demon Mashou._

The former Demon Mashou snorted and looked aside. His face was warm, but he ignored it. "Foolishness. I have followed fools before and it does not end well." Shutendoji rolled his eyes.

"But perhaps…" Naaza did not _quite_ look at the red senshi. The youth had to learn his place, after all. But he did mostly turn his face back to Ryo, to demonstrate that the older warrior was not intimidated. "Perhaps you are not as foolish as I once thought. I will follow you. To the bitter end."

"I as well," Anubis added, clapping a hand on his comrade's shoulder and looking at Ryo.

"And me," Rajura said, quietly, remaining where he was.

Kayura stepped up to Shutendoji and nodded at Ryo. "Our power is at your command."

Seiji patted Ryo on the shoulder and Shu and Shin grinned. Touma shook his head. "Once more into the breach, then?"

Ryo beamed.

Tsuri rolled her eyes. "So are we _actually_ ready then?"

* * *

Arago knew change was on the wind. Perhaps for ill. But he had survived Kaos twice and the power of the Shiroi Kikotei. He would survive again. His enemies chose to gather in one place for him. That was fine. It would be easier to destroy them and take back his territory. He would not have to worry about the frustrating uselessness of the Demon Mashou or the ticking time bomb that was Kayura. Her absence most likely meant her defeat. But it was immaterial. Badamon was gone as well, although that was also to the good. His plans had failed too many times as of late and Arago was well rid of the fool. What Nether Spirits were left, Arago had devoured to strengthen himself. Rebels made havoc in his fortress. He would destroy them once the armors were his again. Or perhaps capture them and torture them slowly for their insolence.

He did not think about how he was alone, with little more than cannon fodder at his command. He had started from nothing and he was better off now than he had been, with all the energy he had absorbed from various demons around his realm, the humans and what he had recalled from his armors before they had been pulled once more from his grasp.

He looked out upon his domain and summoned a tornado of power, pushing it towards an area of ruckus, and waited, smiling, for his enemies to show themselves and die.

* * *

Kayura felt the tornado a moment before she saw it. Shutendoji, still at her side, looked towards it with her. It smashed through walls of the fortress, pulling at dirt and stone and any individuals unlucky enough to be in its path, reaching up to a sky covered more and more in dark clouds and lightning.

"Just concentrate," he told her. She was surprised and looked at him with shock. He expected _her_ to fight _that_? He nodded at her. "Don't let fear control you. Go to where the tornado is. Disrupt the power controlling it and it will dissipate."

Kayura was a bit nervous, to say the least, as she looked back at the tornado. A short time ago, she might have scoffed at it and walked away, or even laughed. Now she had to destroy it…

She dropped her hat and raised the shakujo as she focused on the tornado, recalling her exercises in controlling her twin sai, when she learned how to make lightning fall from the sky directly where she desired. The staff began to ring.

She found herself standing inside the tornado, but surrounded by the glowing-silver words of spells pressing wind and energy into a storm. She looked around, unsure of what to do, and spotted a spell that was smaller than the others. She felt a compulsion and reached out a hand, pulling the spell away from its neighbors. Once free, it dissolved. Nearby spells, formerly connected with the one she had removed, shrunk and faded. Kayura went after them as well. She felt the tornado as a whole weaken further and further around her. After what felt like an age, she pulled a final spell to pieces and all that was left of the tornado dissolved.

Only then did she open her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them. She was still standing where she had been, next to Shutendoji. It was her mind that had traveled to the tornado. She lowered the shakujo. Her arms were tired. She looked for the tornado, but it was gone.

"Outstanding," Shutendoji said with a smile. "That was splendid, Kayura."

She looked at him and smiled back. She had not had praise for anything in… ages. She looked at the others, who stared at her in shock.

"I believe that was Arago's signal that he is ready for us," she said, embarrassed.

 _Well if that's not proof she's on our side…_ "Let's go then." Ryo called his armor and looked at Tsuri. "Are you going to lead or is someone else?"

"I can lead the way," Shutendoji said.

"I'll signal the others," Tsuri added. "And meet up with you. I imagine the final battle will be at the castle and be a pretty big spectacle at that. Won't be that hard to find you again." She took off.

Shutendoji and Kayura led them forward, while the others kept up behind. Ryo was near the front and refused to look back, even though every instinct he had screamed to run. He was going against his nightmare again. He could hear the demon's laughter. See his red eyes…

"We're here Ryo," Touma said, putting his hand on the red senshi's left arm as they walked. He grinned when Ryo looked back at him. "We're here. As a team. We're not going anywhere."

Ryo smiled back. "I know." He looked forward again and repeated, quietly, "I know."

* * *

Arago was willing to admit to surprise. Even mild astonishment that not only had his tornado done _no_ damage to his enemies, but it had actually come apart at the seams for no reason he could discern.

The only feasible explanations… "Kaos survived after all," he muttered. "Or Shutendoji has mastered more of his skills than I thought." So he would have to deal either with his old enemy or the monk's ghost. "No matter. I've fought ghosts before." And if it was just Shutendoji, then he would have a chance to deal with the fool once and for all…

He knew he would not be able to manipulate the Shiroi Kikotei in the best manner possible and its bearers had proven time and time again that they disliked and refused Arago's offers of power. That was a no-win scenario. He could try absorbing the armors again. The white armor had once been his, after a fashion. And if that failed… he could just kill the insolent mortals and his traitors.

"You people should honestly invest in some strategy sessions sometime," Rajura commented as the three Demon Mashou, Seiji, Shu and Shin wandered in the area near the castle a short while later. "It might save your lives down the line."

"When I want your opinions, Rajura," Seiji said, "I'll ask for them." He was looking around carefully, ready for a horde of Youja or Nether Spirits to pop out at them at any moment.

"He has a right to speak as he wishes," Naaza commented. "Or are you our new 'overlord'?"

* * *

 _Loud little ants._ Of course Arago had spotted them, daring to come so close so soon. _They must think very highly of themselves now. One would think they truly_ are _fools. Well. If fools they are…_ Arago burst from his tower in an attempt to shock the band into disarray. He reached for the green one, Seiji. Take out the most watchful one, first…

But the group scattered, although not with apparent alarm.

Anubis created a cloud of darkness that engulfed the area, hiding much from Arago's sight.

The demon lord could of course still _see_. The power had originally been his, before Kaos stole it by banishing him from his own armor. But it was difficult. He was ready to summon another tornado to blow the smoke away, but as he tried moving his arms to form one, he felt a heavy, sticky substance holding him down. He started to pull it apart, but it seemed without end. And the more he ripped, the thicker it became.

Rajura frowned in concentration as he worked to keep Arago under the illusion. It was the biggest target he'd ever gone after, but he kept it up, for all their sakes.

The ground wobbled under Arago's feet, making him stumble and get more wrapped in the sticky substance. And then the physical attacks started. A flash of light right in his eyes, blinding him after the darkness. Followed by a blasting wave of water. And something kept cutting at his sides. Too small to damage anything, but also too small for him to focus and pinpoint his attacker for retaliation. He roared in frustration.

 _The gnats think they can distract me with my own abilities. They'll learn otherwise._ He breathed in and unleashed a powerful scream to blow them all away… except _that_ was stopped by some sort of wall and rebounded back on him, causing him pain. _What devilry is this?_

* * *

Tsuri brought down two more Youja with her plants as Utako finished off the small mob she had waded into. Other rebels were nearby, helping where they could. They all tried to ignore the gathering of power around Arago. It was more powerful than and unlike anything they had ever seen. It was better to focus on the few remaining Youja who felt the compulsion to run to their lord as aid. At least _that_ was a foe the rebels could deal with.

 _Let's hope you know what you're doing,_ Tsuri thought as she briefly glanced in the direction of Shutendoji and the others. _And let's hope you don't need us to dig you out..._

* * *

Touma watched beside Ryo from a distance. It was quite the show. He had spotted other forces heading to their lords' aid, but they had been stopped by other demons.

Ryo and Byakuen stood back, waiting for the right moment. Kayura and Shutendoji stood closer, with Shutendoji guiding Kayura for the spell. Kayura was visibly sweating to maintain it, but she refused to back down. The shakujo rang loudly and shone gold.

"How do I know the attack won't just bounce off the shield?" Ryo asked.

"She'll drop it when the time is right," Touma replied, still keeping watch. "That means you have one shot, maybe two, if we have to, before Arago kills us all."

_Fight!_

The armor wanted this, and it grew in strength as Kayura and her power were focused elsewhere. It knew a great battle was in store. But Ryo kept it in check, holding out for when all of his power would be needed.

_Not yet. Just wait._

"Now Touma!" Shutendoji called, still watching Kayura.

Touma looked at Ryo, who nodded and started running towards the fight, Byakuen right beside him.

Touma aimed toward Arago and fired off an arrow. The blast of golden power screamed over Ryo's head and the Shiroi Kikotei reached hungrily for it. Ryo continued to hold it back, focusing on Arago. The others had to see the arrow to know to get back. If they lost their power within Arago's reach, and the attack didn't work, they might not have a second try.

Perhaps it was the darkness filling Kayura's shield, blocking Arago from sight, that let Ryo forget some of his fear. Perhaps it was the return to "simpler" things - fight, run, minor strategy, fight – that let him keep his mind elsewhere. Perhaps it was splitting his focus between keeping the armor in check until he was ready and navigating the tops of the maze that he ran along that did not allow him any time for anything else. Perhaps it was Byakuen at his side and the presence of friends before and behind him.

Or perhaps…

He shook his head and came to a halt at the right distance from Arago: not close enough to be in range of his friend's attacks or Arago's grabbing range. Then he reached for his friends with his thoughts, letting the Shiroi Kikotei loose from his hold just enough to form.

Glee filled the armor as it reached out, grabbing up the energy it could and forming around Ryo in a blanket of burning power. Byakuen roared at his side, once more in the form of Byakueno, the two swords at his sides. Ryo drew them out and leapt into the air, held aloft by the armor's power. Cut off the head and hopefully the body would follow, or at least that had been Touma's idea.

But as he aimed at Arago, the armor tugged at him, making him plummet a few feet.

 _What are you doing?_ He tried to aim again, but the armor felt as if it was pulling itself apart. And it kept getting hotter, almost uncomfortably so. He almost missed when Kayura dropped the shield. Between the armor's spurts of erratic behavior, Ryo caught hold of the power, focused it into his swords, aimed at Arago and unleashed the attack at the demon lord.

The ray of flame missed by a rather significant margin, although the wind of its passage dragged the larger portion of Anubis' darkness off the demon lord.

"Idiot!" Anubis cursed as he summoned more darkness around Arago. Shin stood nearby, staring in shock and not knowing what to do. He didn't have any more Cho Ryu Ha's to spend.

"Ryo?" Touma asked aloud, staring in surprise at the bobbing flaming orb of his friend. It would be almost comical if Arago _wasn't_ clearly visible just past him.

"Get the shield back up while he prepares!" Shutendoji cried.

"I'm _trying!_ " Kayura yelled back, focusing everything she had on Arago. "It's too much!" She had it half-formed off the ground, but it would not close fully. She had used too much energy forming the first one. If she tried something smaller, she might lose it entirely or risk the Yoroi Senshi or former Demon Mashou nearby.

"Do we go back in?" Naaza looked to Seiji, who had already thrown several Rai Ko Zan's at the demon lord, but feared to throw another and attract his attention, or pass out with the strain of the Shiroi Kikotei hogging all his power.

"I…" _I don't know…_

Shu had somehow managed to keep up the Gan Tessai, though he felt like he might pass out at any second. _Come on, Ryo! Destroy him already!_

"Is there some reason Arago isn't dead yet?" Rajura demanded, sweat pouring from his brow as he increased the power of the illusion he had wrapped around his former master. The fake restraints were currently one of the only things keeping the demon lord from attacking them all.

"Insolent fools!" Arago roared, reaching out as he spotted Ryo. "You thought you could kill me, but you have failed! You cannot control my armor! You never could! Now you will die alone and helpless!" He sent a burst of power at Ryo, knocking the senshi to the ground.

Ryo smashed into a wall. But the Shiroi Kikotei did more damage to his surroundings than the wall did to Ryo, melting to mush every piece of stone within the radius of a long truck. It was like the armor had gone crazy amidst so much power. It reached hungrily for all the demonic energy Arago was expending against the Yoroi Senshi and former Demon Mashou, along with the attacks from the other armors and the latent energy in the air. All of it made Ryo dizzy, and Arago's attack had only worsened things.

It was Arago's laughter that brought him back to reality. He froze, hearing the mocking sound.

 _We've lost. I…I failed…_ He could feel the hopelessness in his friends. The distraction. The armor was coming apart on him and he could do nothing to help anyone once again. He had let them all down yet again. _Why did I ever think I could do otherwise?_

He heard a familiar growl and opened his eyes – when had he shut them? – to see Byakuen walking towards him. The tiger nudged his arm, unaffected by the heat of the Shiroi Kikotei.

"You've always been there for me, buddy…" Ryo said, smiling, despite the pain. Forgetting Arago and all of it for a moment and reaching out to his friend…

The armor quieted once Ryo was snapped out of his cycle of fear. He was even able to stand up. He looked around, seeing all the damage he had caused. He was getting more tired by the second as the Shiroi Kikotei continued to struggle into keeping its shape, pushed by his will.

"My will alone isn't strong enough." Ryo stepped forward uncertainly. "But… but I'm not alone." He leapt into the air again.

Arago caught sight of him. He had begun reaching for Anubis to deal with the frustrating darkness, but the Shiroi Kikotei was the better prize. He could feel the uncertainty of the Rekka armor's bearer. The power flickered in and out of strength like a candle flame. And candles were so easy to snuff out.

"Returned to be beaten again, boy?" Arago roared. "You barely have the power you fought me with the last time you were here, _before_ the white armor saved your miserable hide. What do you hope to accomplish with it?"

Ryo ignored him and reached out for his friends. The four Yoroi Senshi were there, still waiting. Weak, but ready to help him if he needed it. He strengthened their bond and felt their relief to find him still there, ready to try again.

Shutendoji was there, as well. A changed but familiar presence he had fought with before. Behind him was Kayura, cloaked in the familiar power of Kaos and the friendship of Shutendoji. She reached out to him with the familiar warmth she had used to heal him. He reached back.

Behind the pair were three soft, distant lights. They grouped together out of familiarity with each other, and were clearly wary of him. But he felt the compulsion to reach out for them, seeing in them the former Demon Mashou. The other Yoroi Senshi and Shutendoji called to them, and Ryo lent his Rekka armor to the mix. They finally gathered together: nine armors with Kaos' power to bind them all.

The Shiroi Kikotei roared with all their strength, but Ryo again forced down its hungry voice, reaching instead for the spirits of his friends. Memories came to him. The things that made his friends who they were, rather than the bottomless burning hunger of the Shiroi Kikotei.

Touma showing his mother his latest aced test. Seiji practicing as his sisters looked on. Shu cooking under the direction of his uncle, pride on the older man's face. Shin, on a trip to the beach with his mother and sister. Shutendoji, at peace during meditation, for the first time in an age.

The former Demon Mashou had a harder time of it, their good memories being quite distant, and they had been picked by Arago because of their ill natures to begin with. But joy they could recall. In tasks well done. Peace in the knowledge that they had someone at their backs. Hope in what the Yoroi Senshi offered: a future without conflict. Or at least less of the conflict that had left them as they were after so many years.

Kayura had her memories of her family, laced with Kaos' power, that pulled them all tighter. And Byakuen was there, even then, with Ryo, keeping him focused.

All of their warm memories, keeping the Shiroi Kikotei bewildered and under control, even as it filled to the brim with power, moreso than Ryo had ever dreamed. But it held its form and Ryo was finally able to take hold of the power and aim it at Arago - or at least in the demon lord's general direction. It helped that his target was rather large. The power burned his hands and he felt like he might snap in two from keeping it all together, but he refused to back down. Everyone was with him. Counting on him.

All the while – and it had not taken long – Arago had noticed the gathering of power around Ryo, as well as the dissipation of the forces keeping him in place.

 _Doubtless they are gathering what they can to defeat me. Only now that they have freed me-!_ He began to pool his own resources, preparing for one final strike. It would have to be big to get rid of what he was sensing.

Ryo called out, "Rage…of…Inferno!" And unleashed the energy towards Arago, engulfing the shocked demon lord and what spells he had begun in a tornado of flame.

Arago's scream of pain made the very ground shake and everything for some distance tremble in fear. The flames made all who looked turn away from the brightness. The power burned straight through Arago. Eating away and leaving nothing behind.

When it faded away at long last, and all could see that Arago was gone, everyone could suddenly breathe a little easier, though they did not know why.

Spent, Ryo released his friends, allowing what smatterings of power were left to fade. The Shiroi Kikotei was, for once, silent, even as it faded from sight, followed by his Rekka armor, leaving him in his sub-yoroi.

And he shut his eyes in weariness and fell.

"Ryo!"

He was awake enough to feel Touma snatch him from the air and eventually set him gently on the ground. He cracked open his eyes to see all the smiling faces gazing down on him. Not a few were teary. Touma knelt by him, holding his shoulder.

"We did it Ryo! It's over!"

"And we're alive!" Shin laughed in sheer relief. "We're alive to see it!"

"The Youja are vanishing!" Tsuri shouted, running from a distance. Her hair was a mess and she had cuts and bruises all over from the fights she had been in her. Her armor was dinged up a bit, but she still grinned. Shu turned to Shu. "They have nothing to keep them here!" She continued, a wide smile on her face as she ran to him and hugged him, hard. He was still weak from helping to form the armor, but hugged her back as much as he could, smiling.

Cheers filled the air from around the fortress as the rebels realized what had happened and began to celebrate.

"I think I shall sleep for some time," Anubis commented, sitting on the ground with his head in his hands. "A _very_ long time."

"I second that," Naaza added.

"How do we know he is truly gone?" Rajura asked, looking where Arago had been. "He has played dead before."

"He's gone," Kayura said with a smile. "Kaos could sense him in his new shape. This time, he is very much _gone_."

"So what now?" Shin asked, looking at Seiji. "Do we head home?"

"There is a great deal of work to be done," Shutendoji said, "To restore the demon realm and maintain order and continue the protection of the human realm. A power vacuum has been created. This place is in chaos. But I fear that I do not have the strength to see it through just now." He was very wan, despite his smile.

"I'll call in our contacts," Tsuri said. "Some of our people can oversee it while you recover. Which you should _not_ do here, just now. Too much demonic energy running amuck, even with Arago gone."

"We have a safe house you are welcome to," Touma said, looking at Shutendoji. Then he glanced at the former Demon Mashou and carefully added, "And you as well. If you wish."

The three looked at him, startled, then at each other.

"We cannot stay here," Rajura commented. "There may be retaliation. From the rebels or enemies who were not involved and see this as a moment of weakness. Besides, our chambers are probably destroyed. What choice do we have?"

"And we know barely anything about the current human realm," Anubis said. "Where to began, exhausted as we are?"

"Then it is agreed," Naaza commented, looking at Touma. "We are grateful and accept your offer."

"I assure you that we are too tired to try anything," Rajura continued, "Even if we wanted to."

"That's good," Shu said, "Although I'm not _too_ tired to stop you if you did."

Kayura smiled. "Come then, I have just enough power to get us there."

"Ryo? We're leaving. Ryo?" Touma jiggled the red senshi's arm and received no response. His face was far paler than the others and he felt _cold_. The sub-yoroi faded, leaving him in his civilian clothes. Burns marked his arms and coated his hands.

"It's the Shiroi Kikotei, or whatever it was we made in the end," Shin said. "We may be fine, other than drained, but we knew it had a cost."

"Can you help him Kayura?" Touma asked.

"I'll try, but it may take time. I have very little power left." She knelt down and put her hand to Ryo's forehead, shutting her eyes in concentration. The shakujo began to ring and a warm light filled the area. Sweat quickly coated her brow as she tried to maintain it. The damage was just so _awful_ … "It's like he's not there. His spirit is so weak…"

Shutendoji put his hand on her shoulder, for support. "You can do this, Kayura."

Strengthened by his help, Kayura reached out to Ryo, feeling an absence in his mind, even as his body partially healed.

_Ryo? Ryo, come back to us…_


	18. Coming Home and Settling In

Ryo leaned back into the warm magma, feeling the heat wrap comfortably around him. The icy feeling in his limbs faded. All he wanted to do was melt right along with the magma. Melt and flow away. Never return to the cold outside world full of pain.

But then small pinpricks of light shone down on him. They were distracting. Every time they touched him, a spot of cold grew on his body.

"Go away…" he murmured. "Leave me alone…"

But the spots persisted.

"Ryo... Ryo…"

He knew that female voice from somewhere. But it was so hard to remember. All his mind could focus on was the warmth. Melting…

And the light kept distracting him from it.

Ryo opened his mouth to speak again, but his voice was choked off, and he could not say anything.

The magma spoke in a deep voice, "Go away. He's mine."

The rays of light vanished and Ryo suddenly felt a sense of wrongness in the air. There was something he was supposed to remember. Something he should be doing.

The warmth of the magma called to him. Pushing the feeling away. He sank further into the comfort.

A column of light shot down around him, blinding him.

"Wake up Ryo! The armor wants to devour you now that you are weakened! You must not let it!"

It was the hardest thing to fully open his eyes and look around the area. His eyelids felt so very heavy. But when he did, he tried to scramble back in horror.

It was like his old nightmares and a volcano had merged into one. Leering faces of demons and Arago stared back at him. Demonic energy coated the walls. Hands grabbed at his arms and legs, pulling him down into the muck, slowly swallowing him…

He tried to cry out, but he still couldn't say anything. He struggled, pulling hard at the arms, but to no avail. They simply coiled tighter.

Then a brightly-lit hand reached down from above and pulled one of the demonic hands away, freeing his left arm. The bright hand reached to his other limbs and did the same. Once he was freed, Ryo scrambled, albeit slowly, away from the spot, standing up against a wall. But even that was taxing. He had never felt so tired.

_Ryo…_

More demonic hands raced for him, but the column of light shot between him and the hands. The bright hand from earlier reached down for him, and he caught it. As he was pulled up, darkness surrounded him. But he no longer felt like he was melting. He felt… at peace.

* * *

Kayura breathed a sigh of relief and sat back, shutting her eyes and simply relaxing.

"Well?" Touma asked, still sitting at Ryo's side. The others were gathered around him, and the Yoroi Senshi looked particularly concerned. Shutendoji sat by Kayura's side, checking her over with his senses. Naaza, Anubis and Rajura sat a short distance away, watching, but also gathering up their strength again.

"He's fine now," Kayura finally responded, opening her eyes and looking at him. "The armor took advantage of his exhaustion and was trying to consume him." She sat up and leaned over Ryo. His color was returning to normal and he seemed to be breathing easily. A few of his burns had faded. "He'll still need time to recover, but he _will_ recover. We should take him back to a safe place, out of the demon realm."

"The armor is still trying to take over?" Touma asked.

"Hopefully that was a final attempt," Shutendoji replied. He was pale, for he had been supporting Kayura. "With Arago gone for good, his influence is no longer pulling at them and encouraging them along and we have been wearing them for so long and meshing them with our own spirits that they are far less demonic than they were, but his power still forms their base. We should still stay vigilant."

"Is it something we need to worry about right now?" Shu asked, his left arm around Tsuri's shoulders. She had her right arm around his in return, although she looked at Shutendoji with concern.

"No," Shutendoji replied, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his left hand.

"Then let's get out of here in the meanwhile," Shu said, looking at the others. "I know I could use a real bed."

"Seconded," Shin said.

Kayura sighed and stood. "All right. Wait a moment while I prepare."

* * *

Walking back, once they were out of the demon realm, was the easy part. Byakuen carried Ryo, with Touma at his side to keep him from falling, and the former Demon Mashou followed Shutendoji, Kayura, and the other Yoroi Senshi quietly. Shin had spotted Anubis tightening his lips once they reached the house, but no one said anything about their new accommodations.

"We'll have to go back, won't we?" Seiji asked as he and Shutendoji sat in the living room sometime later, drinking tea. Most of the others were upstairs, sleeping. Anubis, Naaza and Rajura had finally settled down as well and were out cold. Shu had only agreed to go to sleep when he was sure that at least two others would be awake, on watch. Not only for enemies but also for the former Demon Mashou. Seiji agreed. It was nice to think that they were all comrades now. That they had fought for their lives and won and shared similar goals. But as they had learned from Shutendoji, even before they had served Arago, the former Demon Mashou had not been the best of people. Kayura had a room to herself, and had fallen on the bed almost as soon as she saw it.

"We will," Shutendoji said morosely. "It is our responsibility. We could do a lot of good with our power. Shin and Shu, especially. Shin could help purify the rivers, and Shu could help restore the land. You might help Shu out with that by getting rid of all the smog and muck darkening the skies, and Touma can also help there. There is also plenty of refuse someone with the ability to control fire could get rid of to clean the place up. As for Anubis, Rajura and Naaza… since they must work to rediscover the beneficial uses of their armor powers, they may simply serve as deterrents against new Arago-knock offs attempting to take advantage of the disorder."

"So we need to go back soon."

"Yes."

Seiji looked down at his cup. "Okay. So we help fix the demon realm. Then what?"

Shutendoji stared at him. "Then… we maintain peaceful relations between the human and demonic realms."

"Okay."

"Were you expecting something else?"

Seiji took another sip and put his cup down. "You're not part of the world. Or you haven't been for a long time. I know you're further along on the journey than Anubis, Naaza, Rajura and Kayura, but you're still focused on matters of the spirit. The five of us - Ryo, Touma, Shu, Shin and I - have lives outside of all this. We have homes, families, school, careers to plan… We have things to get back to once the summer is over, and that deadline is coming up. While this area seems great for getting involved in matters dealing with the demon realm, we can't stay here forever. We can't just transfer schools and uproot our lives. And even if we could, we can't be in the demon realm all the time. We have homework and studying and practice and friendships and various other responsibilities."

"Seiji, the armors are an important responsibility. They-"

"We understand that. But what do you want us to do? We're just kids, Shutendoji. Kids with a big responsibility that's been dropped on our shoulders. At the end of the day, we need to support ourselves. You may not have the same human needs as we do, since you're a lot less human than we are after all your time in the demon realm around demons, but _we_ are still pretty human. We need to support ourselves. And there are people who care about us. People who would be very upset if we suddenly dropped off the map or dropped all of our other responsibilities, even for something as important as what we're doing here."

"Seiji, I understand that you cannot drop everything. But you also need to understand that things cannot go back to what they were before you became involved with Arago. Maybe before you unlocked the powers of the Shiroi Kikotei, but that's no longer an option. Right now, you five glow like beacons for any being who can detect spiritual power. If you five separate to the four -or in this case, five— winds, every spiritual being nearby will come for you. And while you _are_ pretty powerful, you _will_ trip up sometime. You'll fall asleep. You'll relax your guard. And then it's only a slippery slope from bad to worse."

"So what do you want us to do?" Seiji knew he looked frazzled and he put his shaking cup down before he spilled. "We're young according to our current society, Shutendoji. We can't just quit school to shepherd the world!"

"I'm not asking that," Shutendoji gently replied. "We'll figure something out. When we're a bit more awake and relaxed. We'll do something. And you're not alone in this. Kaos had a great many connections. I've been using the time since you last saw me to not only gather resistance members but also to try and get a better understanding of the current human world. We'll work something out. If you trust me."

Seiji sighed. "I don't really have a choice. None of us do."

Shutendoji smiled. "Don't sound so fatalistic. The situation isn't that bleak. Arago is gone. Everything after that is simple."

"Ha! Peace is always harder than war. Cause you can't punch people to accomplish things."

"Now you sound like a Demon Mashou."

Seiji shrugged. "Or maybe you all sounded like Shu when he's hungry." His smile faded and he looked at the ground. "But we're really not alone anymore, are we?"

"No, of course not."

"That's good." Seiji stood up and walked to the door. "I think I'll go for a walk." He didn't want Shutendoji to see how ready to fall to pieces he was at that bit of news. He didn't have to come up with plan after plan. Someone else knew what to take care of. What to worry about. Responsibility was well and good but it got tiring.

"Be careful and stay nearby," Shutendoji cautioned, leaning back on the couch. "None of us are ready for new fights yet."

* * *

Shu dragged himself out of bed on the second day they were back so he could sit outside in the grass and feel the earth beneath him. He put his hands in the dirt, shut his eyes and simply breathed. The place was so clean in comparison to the demon realm. The demon realm had felt dead. The human realm, on the other hand, breathed. It was like the difference between drowning in mud and swimming in clear water.

"Feeling better?" Tsuri asked, walking over.

Shu grinned and opened his eyes so he could look up at her. "Yeah. A lot better now."

She smiled and his cheeks warmed when he realized what he said.

"You were glowing a little," she added.

"What?"

"Nothing a normal human could see, other than maybe a little more sun on you. But your aura is definitely brighter than it was earlier."

"I thought I'd need more sleep. But now that I'm out here… I feel great."

"That makes sense. You are a part of the Earth. You'll feel better when you're more connected to it." She sat down next to him and brushed the grass with her hands. It clung to her fingers. "I wonder how you would react to a fully health demon realm."

"It's still hard to contemplate," Shu replied. "That the place could actually be nice. Not you know… step out of a shadow and die. How are things over there?"

"Slow. There was a little infighting – fools hoping to replace Arago. But we've done some building repair. Emptied the dungeons, cleared out a few holdouts."

"You look tired. Why are you here? If you have time, you should catch up on some sleep."

"I… wanted to come here." She looked at him expectantly.

He looked away quickly, blushing.

She put her hand out and pulled his chin back towards her with a finger. She was still smiling. "I'm not going to eat you. And I'm not asking for anything. We've known each other for barely any time at all and it's come to my attention that you're quite young for a human. Wanna be friends and get to know each other? And maybe, in the future, well, who knows?" She dropped the hand.

"I'd like that," he quietly replied. He raised his voice. "I'd like that a lot."

She grinned. "So you were telling me about human food earlier…"

* * *

Touma woke to the sound of a man cursing and Byakuen growling. The blue senshi grumbled and opened his eyes, unwillingly turning his face towards the kerfuffle. His door was open and Naaza had fallen through it. He was currently lying on his back on the ground with the top of his head facing Touma. His arms covered his face for protection from Byakuen, who was largely bent over the man, growling.

"Naaza, what the-?"

"Call off your beast, Tenku!"

Touma frowned. Byakuen's growl grew louder. "I'll think about it. Why did he attack you?"

"Because he's rabid?"

Touma sat up and watched Byakuen lower his fangs towards the man's face.

"I just needed to ask you a question and I guess the beast thought I was planning to attack you!"

"Gee, I wonder why." Touma stood and walked over. "Byakuen, go back to Ryo. I'm fine."

The tiger made one last growl and backed off before he padded away.

Naaza put his arms down and glared at the ceiling. "If he does that again, I'll use my armor."

"Then hope it's around one of us," Touma replied, walking back to his bed. "Because our presence is probably the only thing keeping him from killing you."

Naaza only paused briefly as he got up, to digest that thought.

"So ask your question," Touma demanded as he sat back on the bed.

Naaza looked away and…

_Is he blushing?_

"It's rather… personal."

Touma raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "Okay…"

Naaza shifted, clearly uncomfortable.

Touma sighed. _I'm not awake enough for this._ "You've tried to kill me multiple times. We've beaten you up. Now we're comrades. Whatever it is can't be _that_ bad."

Naaza glared. "I need to relieve and clean myself. How do I do that here?"

Touma blinked a few times and felt his face redden.

"I assume you don't want me messing up your grass or bushes, since you have no servants to clean up." He glanced back. "There was something like what I'm familiar with in one of your rooms, but it is… odd."

"Yeah…uh…" Touma swallowed. "Just come on. I'll show you what to do."


	19. Shadows in Sunlight

Seiji sat by a tree in the woods some distance from the house and looked up through the branches and leaves. The sun was bright enough that it broke through the greenery and warmed his skin. He soaked it in. He had missed the sun. Whatever shone down on the demon realm was a shadow in comparison. Even his exhaustion faded away a bit as he sat in the sunlight.

Because of his relaxation, he _almost_ didn't sense the tendril of darkness that reached for his left foot.

But just when it was about to touch his toes, he jumped upward. The light brightened where he had been sitting and something shadowy shriveled with a screech of pain and anger.

Seiji landed on a tree branch and surveyed the area. _Someone else is coming… Doesn't feel like a demon. Almost like… Shutendoji?_

"Ugh, you _had_ to kill it, didn't you?" A young woman stepped out of the trees nearby, walked over, and knelt by the ground where the creature had died. She had reddish-brown skin and long brown hair she wore tied back. She wore a regular white t-shirt and jeans, and carried a bow and quiver of arrows on her back. She held a dagger with a decorated hilt and used it to move the contaminated grass around.

"I wasn't hoping to keep it," Seiji replied, unsure about her. He stretched his senses, checking to see if there was anyone _else_ waiting to pop out of nowhere. _I must be really tired that I missed them until they were practically on top of me._ He couldn't sense anyone else. He _hoped_ that meant there actually _was_ no one else.

She glared up at him, revealing purple eyes. "I didn't want you to dress it up like a _doll_ and play make-believe. But you could have _trapped_ it. I've been tracking it for a couple hours now." She sighed. "And for some reason it led me to _you_ and not its master…"

 _Trap it with what?_ "Why were you tracking it?"

"I want its maker," she replied as she stood up. "They've been kidnapping and probably killing humans for a few months now. They use these little shadow monsters as spies and kidnappers in the field. The things are poisonous. A normal human would be unconscious with a touch."

Seiji dropped to the ground, looking at the spot himself but staying clear of it. "Seems awfully convenient for you to be so close to it after it attacked me."

"It seems awfully convenient for _you_ to kill it before _I_ could study it," she replied, still watching him. Seiji noticed that she had not sheathed her dagger. "I can tell that you're human, but you have demon stink on you."

"I was just sitting here," he replied. "I'm staying nearby. You and this _thing_ are trespassing. Although _you're_ definitely human."

They eyed each other for a bit.

"My name's Luna," she said. "I work at a temple in Tokyo."

"I'm Seiji."

She waited for more explanation. When he gave none, she continued, "So what? Are you a monk? A priest?"

"No, I'm just a student."

"A student of what?"

"High school."

"You're joking." She pointed at the ground where the demon had perished. "Someone who did _that_ is not a regular person, new to their powers. They're _somebody_. Some _thing_. Don't you _dare_ tell me that was an accident!"

"It wasn't. Mostly." He looked around, making sure that no _new_ surprises were coming their way, still unsure about his senses. _I'm going to be super paranoid after this_. When he again found no one and nothing, he looked back at Luna, who was frowning at him.

"What _are_ you?" She asked.

"An unlucky participant," He replied. "There are more of those things?"

"Yes. Many."

He sighed. _I'm supposed to be on vacation. Even if I wasn't, shouldn't you still get some after saving the world? Of course not. The universe isn't that fair._ _But it's not Arago… But it came after_ me _. So…_

He looked at her. She _seemed_ human. Normal human. Not an armor bearer. This type of thing was Touma's field, or Shutendoji's. But should he tell a stranger about either of them?

"I should take you back to my temple," Luna said. "They can figure you out."

"I don't need to be figured out." _Well by strangers, anyway. I'm happy to leave Touma to it, though._

"We need more people like you," she replied. "If you can deal with these things, you could help us save lives! If we could imitate whatever it is you did--"

"You can't."

"And how are you so sure, Mr. High School Student?"

"You just can't. It's not like learning to be a priest or whatever."

"Then what is it?"

He pursed his lips.

"Do you care about other people at all?" She continued. "You have no idea how many people have been hurt or killed because of these things. Because of whoever is behind them and probably hurting more people while we stand around _chatting_ about it."

"Why do you trust me all of a sudden?"

"I'd trust you more if you let me take you to my temple." Her eyes narrowed. "Although now I'm wondering what it is you're hiding."

"I'm sorry if I don't make a habit of following strangers around or telling strangers everything about me."

"I wouldn't _stay_ here if it wasn't important!"

He saw the anger in her face. The refusal to back down. Maybe she was on the side of good and actually wanted to help people.

"Did you... did you lose someone?"

"Friends. More of them as the weeks pass. My sister barely survived an attack recently. She's still recovering. But she'll go out again when she's better. And this time..." She shook her head. "I can't lose her. She's all I have. And I can't watch more friends get hurt. Or innocent people."

"Is that why you're alone?"

She laughed. "No. I'm alone because everyone else was on foot and I had my motorcycle." She pulled out a cellphone and tapped some buttons. "Ugh... they're annoyed I'm gone. Don't blame them. I've been in their shoes."

"I'll help you," Seiji said.

She looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

He scratched his head. "I know what it's like, when people you care about are at risk. And I don't like seeing people get hurt. And if there are demons around, well... I guess it's my job to help get rid of them."

"...Thank you."

"I have some friends we should see first, though. Maybe they know something about this. Even if they don't, I need to tell them where I am."

She took a step back. "Friends?"

"So you don't trust me anymore?"

"I don't know you."

"Well you can stay behind me and keep an arrow at my back if it makes you more comfortable. I'll try to get them to send the nice ones out first." He turned and started walking out of the clearing. "Coming?"

She sighed and sheathed her dagger. Then got out her bow and nocked an arrow to the string. "Lead the way, highschooler."

He grinned and kept walking.

* * *

Since he was awake, Touma wandered downstairs after explaining how to use the flush toilet and shower to Naaza in extra detail. The last thing he wanted to do was clean up ex-Demon Mashou mess. He had thought about making something to eat, but he found himself on the couch without remembering sitting down, with Shu shaking his shoulder to wake him up.

The other boy handed him a plate full of hot food. "I imagine you're hungry."

"Yeah," Touma replied. "Thanks."

As Shu walked away, Touma turned and saw Naaza and Anubis sitting at the table, eating their own meals.

Touma considered, then stood and walked over to sit at the table as well. The two men glanced at him before turning back to their food and continuing to eat in silence.

Shu eventually walked out of the kitchen again with two more full plates. He set one of them down near the two men at an empty place and sat, himself, with a heaping plate, across from Touma. Naaza and Anubis looked curiously at Shu until Rajura came down the stairs. He looked a bit bedraggled as he stepped over to Naaza and Anubis. The three eyed the lone plate. Rajura looked at Shu and then sat down by the plate and started eating.

"So," Shu said after a time of eating in silence. "I think we need to have a shopping trip. Sometime soon."

The others looked at him curiously.

"I mean you can't wander around in your sub-yorois and underwear forever. And if we're going to be feeding five or more people for the foreseeable future, we need more food."

"I seem to remember we were pretty much out when last we were here," Touma said. "Where did all this come from?" He gestured to their plates.

"Shutendoji called in a favor, apparently. Some friends of his drove a truck full of food down here."

"And they just… dropped it off?"

"Well yeah. Just normal people. Had no idea what was going on. They said they work at one of the local grocery stores and had been called in for an order."

"That must have cost a fortune…"

Shu shrugged.

"And what did they want in exchange?" Touma wondered.

"Protection," Shutendoji replied, walking down the stairs. "I have connections who are individuals intensely interested in protection of the world. When the armors were first made, that was their purpose – to undo the harm caused by Arago and help protect the world. It is my colleagues' hope that they will all do so once again. The armors have been hidden for so long. It's time they returned to their duties."

"As long as they pay for food," Shu said, "I'm willing to listen."

"But what about…?" Touma waved in the general direction of Anubis, Naaza and Rajura. "They need clothes. Homes, maybe. Jobs to pay for it all. Modern education would be good, too. And people to help them adjust otherwise."

Shutendoji looked at his former comrades. "You'll have plenty of help. The lives that you lived before Arago are gone, but there's no reason you can't live reasonably comfortably." He smiled. "I doubt you want to follow Kayura and I around for training. You _could_ , but it will be hard and slow."

"You're leaving?" Shu asked.

"We'll do what we can in the demon realm to help heal things, but we both need more training, and that can only really occur in _this_ realm. And in rather distant places. Kayura is one of the last of her people, but some of their teachers and teachings were scattered around the globe. We'll seek them out."

"But you're going back to the demon realm first?" Naaza asked, curious.

"We all should," Shutendoji replied. "Our powers would be a boon to them over there. At least for a while. We'll wait at least a few days. To rest and recover our strength. The demon realm is largely in better hands at this point. If we go now or slightly later, it makes little difference." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So eat, sleep. Think calming thoughts." He turned back and went up the stairs slowly.

Touma watched him and then turned back to his food. "So that's that, then."

* * *

Luna stopped on the edge of the woods, within sight of the house. "Where are you taking me? The demonic energy is _insane_ in that direction." She raised her bow to point the arrow at his back. "Who _are_ you?"

"We're a bit of an odd bunch," Seiji replied. "I can get Shutendoji out here to talk to you if you want."

"Oh no. You're not signaling your buddies to come help you overwhelm me." She raised her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at him. Then she frowned. "Shutendoji?"

"You know him?"

" _A_ Shutendoji visited my temple a while back. He gave advice. The elders respected him. I sat in on some of his talks. He even looked into the shadow creatures a bit, but he had to move on before he could help us deal with the problem fully. Describe _your_ Shutendoji to me."

"Tall. Frowns a lot. Monks robes. Long red hair. Carries a shakujo."

"Sounds about right."

"I have a cellphone," Seiji replied. "I can call them while you keep your eye on me."

Luna considered. _He doesn't seem to have any weapons… Whatever he used earlier probably couldn't hurt me like the shadow demons… Still._

"All right. Call Shutendoji out here. And _only_ him."

Seiji pulled out his phone, all the while considering. _She has a strong spiritual energy. Not like Shutendoji or Kayura, or even one of the rest of us, but she's strong. I can get away if I need to, but that might not be a good idea… Shutendoji should know what to do._

He dialed and waited.

"…Hello?"

"Shu? Would you ask Shutendoji to come outside, please?"

"What? Why?"

"We have a visitor. Friendly, I think. Shutendoji should talk to her, though."

"The rest of us can come out if you're in trouble."

"I don't think that's necessary. She's human. One of Shutendoji's network." He eyed Luna, who didn't react to his words. She just kept aiming the bow and watching him, glancing behind him every now and then.

"All right. I'll get him. Just holler if you need help, though, and we'll come." Shu hung up.

Seiji put the phone away and smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "He's coming."

Luna did not lower the bow. _Everything about this is messed up. So he killed the creature? He's more powerful than anyone I've met._

She spotted a lone figure walking out of the house towards them. She took a step back from Seiji so that she could keep a better eye on both of them. As the figure neared, she recognized Shutendoji, mostly through his odd aura. He wore different clothes, but… She felt calmer. Less tired.

 _Like when he visited the temple._ She remembered seeing him and being curious about him. Quiet, thoughtful and too young for the respect to elders lent him. But every time he spoke, they listened and gave great heed to his words. When he left, everyone felt like they woke up from a dream. It would have alarmed them all more if they had not noticed that demonic activity had dropped while he was there and only picked up after he had been gone for more than a few days. She lowered her bow.

* * *

Shutendoji could not recall feeling so tired. Despite that, he kept waking up every few hours with the sense that something was wrong and he had to help. No wonder Kayura's people weren't quite human. The kind of responsibility their power gave was too much for a regular human to handle. The only reason Shutendoji could handle it was because of his long use of his armor. He just wanted _one night's rest_. Was that too much to ask for?

It didn't help that he didn't have his robes to wear anymore. His sub-yoroi wasn't alien, but it was hard to be stuck in it again. He had planned to go to his apartment to pick up at least a change of clothes but barely had the strength to talk with the others and make a phone call to deal with the far more important matter of food.

Now he studied the stranger as he approached her and Seiji. She was holding a bow and aiming an arrow at Seiji, although she lowered it a little as Shutendoji approached. Shutendoji hoped he had made a good decision to not call his actual armor. She looked vaguely familiar…

"Are you really Shutendoji?" She asked.

"Yes, I am. Who are you and why are you threatening my friend?"

She smiled. "So Seiji was telling the truth after all."

Shutendoji stopped nearby and frowned. "What's going on? Who are you?"

She inclined her head. "You probably don't remember, but I'm Luna. You visited my temple some time ago to help us with some dangerous shadow creatures that have been attacking and kidnapping people. We've been using the techniques you advised but our investigations aren't getting anywhere."

"Ahh, I do remember." Shutendoji looked at Seiji. "Why were you threatening him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you travel in… interesting circles, but it's not every day _I_ run into people who can burn up deadly spirits with barely a thought. I was trying to play it safe."

Shuntendoji sighed and looked back at her. "I'm afraid I'm still not going to be able to help much."

"Excuse me?"

"My friends and I were just involved in a hard battle. We're still recuperating. We wouldn't be much help to you. I can call in someone to help, but honestly we'd probably just get in your way."

"Was Seiji involved in your… whatever?" she asked. "Because he seemed fine when the monster from before went after him."

Shuntendoji looked at Seiji.

"I'm not up to full strength," Seiji replied. "But being out in the sunlight helped a lot. The creature wasn't that powerful, either."

Luna glared.

"Well it _wasn't_."

She looked back at Shutendoji. "He offered to help me earlier. And we could use it. I didn't come looking for help, and it would be great to have more people who can do whatever it is Seiji did, but if he's strong enough to face _those_ , he should be strong enough to help me fight the others. And one good fighter is better than none at the moment."

"I really don't think-" Shutendoji began.

"A little help won't hurt," Seiji interrupted. He looked at Shutendoji. "Someone should be aware of what's out there while everyone else is resting. It would be bad if we woke up to find the world falling to pieces around us."

"You shouldn't go alone," Shutendoji said. "If you get into trouble, you'll need backup."

"That's what cellphones are for," Seiji replied. "If I go too far, I'll just come back and wait until someone else is strong enough to come along. It'll be okay. And you're in no shape to go, anyway. "

"Try not to get overwhelmed before you can make a call then," Shutendoji said. He looked back at Luna. "I can still call for some more help. If people are in danger, I can't simply stand by and do nothing."

Luna smiled. "The more the merrier. And the fewer lives lost in the meanwhile."


	20. Running Into Danger

"You know we'd probably make better time on my bike," Luna said. She sat in the passenger seat of the car as Seiji drove them toward the city.

"I'm sure we could, but if you want my help, I should be steering, and I don't think you want me driving your motorcycle."

She smiled. "So are you _sensing_ anything?"

"Not really. How did you track these things before?"

"Mostly luck," she replied. "They'd go after someone and we'd pounce on them. They're so small that it's hard to track them from a distance. We tried to track their patterns; maybe they were sticking to a small area. Unfortunately they aren't sticking to any pattern, outside of general Tokyo. But they keep getting further away from the city. The one today was one of the furthest I know of."

"Well then you happen to be in luck," he replied. "I know for a fact that my friends and I are trouble centers, especially in relation to the car. Monsters just come—" He frowned and tapped the brakes, slowing the car to a stop.

"What?" she asked.

"There's… it feels the same but it has to be more than one."

"What are you-?" Then she felt it. Like a wave of demonic energy approaching quickly. She looked towards the direction they were driving. "I've never felt so many before. Why are they grouping like that? Just one of them could take out a few humans at a time!"

"Perhaps they rethought things after I killed the first one." He unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car, summoning his armor.

Luna turned her head from the bright green light, and looked back to see him in the odd green armor, bearing a large sword on his back, which he unsheathed and held aloft.

Luna got out of the car, pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow, preparing to fire, although she doubted she would make much of a dent. Her dagger was the one with the magical capabilities. But if waited until they were close enough for her dagger, it might very well be too late for her to do anything.

Seiji stood waiting, wondering just what he had gotten himself into. He could feel Luna attempting to stay calm nearby. He respected her courage. That she had not run said a lot about her.

"Why did you change your mind about me?" he asked.

"What?" she replied, surprised, even glancing his way before turning her focus back to the oncoming enemies.

"Back with Shutendoji. I've heard about 180s, but I haven't seen one quite like what you did."

"Frankly? Times are tough. And I thought you were lying about Shutendoji. You weren't. The guy's weird. Whatever he's got messes with your head, I guess. Makes you feel more… calmer."

"Could be a trick," he replied. "Like a spider drawing in a fly. Can't demons pull that off?"

She sighed. "Those typically make you sleepy, and if anything I feel more awake. And I don't mean to sound immodest, but I have a few protections of my own against that sort of thing." She tapped the handle of her dagger lightly. "Plus, I remember it from the first time when he was at our temple, and I trust the temple elders. Once I wasn't worried so much about you attacking me, I guess I realized how nice it was to have someone around who could sense and kill these monsters. It's been a long run with these things, trying to figure out how they work and where they come from. Even after the city went to pot with Arago attacking. They went away for a bit and we assumed they were starved out, since most of the people were gone. But they've come back in swarms since Arago and his minions vanished. Too much is at risk for me to be picky about who I hook up with to deal with the problem. You're not trying to kill or attack me and you're willing to work with me and you're useful? I want you on my team."

"Seems like a lot to mull over in a short amount of time."

"I work at a temple. Deep thought and wisdom are kind of our thing. And since I'm a warrior too, you kind of learn to do that on the run. It's called following your instincts." She grinned at him. "So don't let me down, okay?"

"I'll try. Stay behind me, though. We'll test how strong they are."

She backed up, but kept her arrow aimed in the general direction of the enemy.

They heard a crash and a scream and Seiji ran up towards the next rise in the road. Luna followed after him, but he ran so fast that he was quickly gone.

 _Whatever he's got, I want some_. A burst of light filled the area ahead and she ran faster. As she topped the rise, she saw Seiji knocking aside more shadow monsters beside a car crashed into the guardrail. Luna stared in shock. There was a swarm of the creatures and more coming up from down the road. She had never seen so many. Then she spotted an older woman was trying to pull an unconscious young man out of the passenger seat, although he was larger than she was. Luna put her bow and arrow away and ran forward. She helped the woman drag him out and away. Luna saw that the woman had a cut on the side of her head.

"I have a car over the hill. Come on." She took the man's left arm, wrapped it around her neck, and lifted that side while the woman took his right, and the two women carried him slowly away from the battle to Seiji's car.

"Just came out of nowhere," the woman said. "Swarmed… knocked me off the road…"

Luna helped her place the man into the backseat of the car and made sure the woman was sitting before she asked, "Do you have a cellphone?"

The woman looked at her in confusion for a moment and then pulled a phone out of her pocket.

Luna made sure the woman was on the phone with emergency services, with instructions to drive by a different route than the one filled with 'wild animals', and that the area around the car was clear of shadow monsters before running back to Seiji.

Seiji stood alone amidst a sea of dead and fading shadow creatures. His sword was planted in a patch of dirt beside the road, coated in dark muck from the beasts, and Seiji was breathing hard.

 _Still so tired_ , he thought with a grimace.

"Wow," Luna said as she walked over to him, looking around. "Just… wow. And you're _not_ at full strength?"

"I can still go on," Seiji replied, standing taller and pulling his sword out of the ground.

Luna looked at his face. His face cover was up and she could see that he was sweating profusely. He was still breathing heavily, and even seemed to be shaking a little. "Of course you can. _After_ you take a breather. Probably at your place. Come on."

She put her hand out to help him.

He frowned and dismissed his armor, standing in his sub-yoroi. "We have a job to do. People will get hurt."

"You rescued that couple back there," she replied.

"They were swarming the car."

"Yes. And now they're not. You've played hero enough today. Come on."

He followed her and continued, "So what, you're ready to give up because I'm tired?"

She glared at him. "I'm _not_ giving up. You just killed more of the creatures in one place than I've ever seen. I think we'll be good for the time it takes you to eat a good meal and take a nap. You won't help anyone if you get killed or caught by these things after you collapse in the fight. You're not the only one fighting these things, you know. Much as 'I' want to be the one to catch whoever is doing this, I have peers out there working on the same problem. Although…" she frowned. "I wonder _why_ they swarmed like that. Just to take out a car holding two people seems like a silly reason to go so far…"

"I'm not sure they were after the people in the car or, well… _me_." He replied as they neared his car. He dismissed his sub-yoroi. The less their rescues knew about his armor, the better.

"Like this morning? But why send out so many so quickly? You only killed the one a short while ago."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"What?"

"Nothing."

She stopped and grabbed his arm. "You think I'm some sort of spy, don't you!"

"No… but it _was_ rather convenient. And we haven't actually met anyone else involved in this other than… you. At least respect that it looks _really_ suspicious."

"I don't even know what whoever is behind this would use you for," she replied. "I only want you because you're good at tracking and killing the little beasts and I don't think whoever is running this is interested in that. I don't even know why they're sending out the monsters to attack people, other than sadistic glee and maybe hunger. But if you honestly think that I'm a liability, I'll go, after I make sure those people are okay." She snorted. "I'll go see how the others are doing on _their_ hunts."

"I didn't mean that… but if whoever is behind this _knows_ who you all are, the searchers, then maybe they have a way to track you? Maybe they're avoiding you or specifically targeting you and for some reason they know that I'm out here too and have decided that I'm a prime target, as well. Maybe they're just going after people who serve as threats."

They walked up to Seiji's car with the two people inside. The woman was standing by the man with the phone still at her ear.

"And now we have this to worry about," Seiji replied.

Luna stopped him from stepping forward. "Let me deal with it. Random guy in green armor waving a sword probably won't be all that comforting, but the temple has some experience dealing with emergency services."

* * *

A half hour later and they were driving back towards the safehouse, with Seiji trying not to glance at Luna out of the corner of his eye. She had pulled aside the leader of the group that arrived to answer the older woman's call and explained a few things Seiji was unable to hear. The man had bowed to Luna after she finished and walked back to talk with his people.

Afterward, Luna had spoken some more with the injured woman, apparently reassuring her.

Seiji had spent the time on the phone with Touma, who had woken up beforehand and had some… _strong_ words about Seiji gallivanting about and fighting 'armies' when he should be healing. Seiji had some choice words himself in reply and had hung up on Touma when he heard Shu wrestling the phone away from the other boy.

Seiji's lips were pressed tightly together as they drove along.

"I told the woman to call my temple if she needed any help," Luna said, finishing some texts on her phone. "The police don't like 'I was attacked by shadow monsters' much. But running into a black bear that ran off afterward might work. Their car is certainly damaged enough to show it."

"Is this what it's like?" he asked. "When you're involved with the supernatural? Lies, lies and more lies?"

She looked at him curiously. "Would you have rather told them that a young man in green armor attacked a shadow monster army?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem? Yes, there's a bit of lying. That's true no matter where you work. Spiritual, retail, manufacturing, farming, politics, housekeeping… Everyone lies at least a little. In our field, lying saves lives. It allows us to keep dealing with supernatural threats the police are unprepared to deal with, physically and mentally. And besides, what are the police going to do with the information that there's a roving threat of shadow monsters? Something large hit that couple's car. They were injured. The cops can't track shadows monsters much better than they can track a roving black bear."

"But they would know what they were looking for and what to watch out for."

"There are some in the police and healthcare who are aware of the more supernatural aspects of our lives. The man I spoke to back there? I know his family. His sister is a good friend of mine. She works for the temple, too. I told him something about what's going on, so he knows. Not that it really matters for what he's doing. All he has to deal with is treating injuries, and those people had car-related injuries, not anything related to the shadow creatures. If something I missed _does_ come up, he'll know how to get them help."

Seiji didn't reply to that.

"Who are you lying to that has you so concerned? Family?"

"No… well… sort of. They know about the armor. But not everything that's been going on."

"If they know about the armor and you're not telling them what you're doing with it, that's your affair. My family _knows_ about what I do. Sure, I keep one or two things back that are simply temple concerns and maybe I don't explain _all_ the dangers I come across in my work, but I'm not like… a spy or something. What I do isn't top secret. It's hard to know that the things we deal with exist, but it's not like it's impossible to go on living, if that's what you're getting at."

"No offense, but I think the responsibility with the armor is a bit more than what you're used to."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I imagine with a power like that it would be. But I know plenty of powerful spiritual people. They're not all bright balls of sunshine with perfect lives but they get along. And at least some of them _are_ happy doing what they do."

"Do they ever live normal lives though?"

"Like what?"

"Like… I don't know. Teaching. Being a police officer. Working in politics. You mentioned some people you know there…"

"Well yeah. Some of those with less spiritual aptitude, largely. I know there are people who mix their supernatural lives with regular ones, largely to keep normal people safe, like those with jobs in government or emergency services. People with larger spiritual talents typically focus on dealing with spiritual threats. A lot goes under the radar for the non-spiritual, and it's because those with the power to make a difference work so hard at it."

"What did you all do while Arago was here?"

"Looked for people who weren't captured," she replied. "Kids missing their parents, elderly and the disabled who needed caretakers, spouses missing their significant other… The big problem was the power outages. A lot of important medical equipment went dead. That was a nightmare. Then damage control. People don't just _abandon_ a city overnight with no consequences. There were car crashes, trains that could have caused a lot of damage… I don't know how many people lost pets after that but it was a lot. Animals went pretty crazy during the whole thing. They typically know better than humans when something demonic is sticking around. It unnerves them. And that's ignoring contact with the outside. We tried to keep the government from coating the city in warm bodies Arago would notice and either capture or kill off. Then there was the wandering Youja to deal with. Just making a mess of things overall and going after the people left behind. Along with a handful of other spirits who weren't fearless enough to challenge Arago's control, but were certainly ready to move in on the helpless wandering around in his shadow."

Seiji sighed. "We didn't really think about that when… I mean we thought about all the missing people, but the focus was more on 'deal with the major problem, let everything else come after'."

"What are you talking about?"

"Arago. We just focused on defeating him. We didn't even bother to check that everyone was all right afterward…"

" _You_ defeated Arago?"

"Well… my friends and I did. There were a lot of us involved."

"And when were you going to tell me _that_?"

"You never _asked_. 'I defeated a giant demon who terrorized Tokyo twice' isn't the topic of casual conversation."

"Well it would have been nice to know," she replied. "I might have trusted you sooner."

"Might?"

"With the weird aura you and your friends put off? I might have thought you were just trying to push out competition in getting rid of Arago. Demons are known for infighting."

"You were practically singing Shutendoji's praises and ready to take up with me after barely any introduction only a short while ago. How does this change anything?"

"Well it's in the past now. I've seen you rescue those people. And I don't think a demon could fake the worry you had for innocent lives. You can be oddly earnest." She cocked her head at him. "Is that why you're so upset about 'lying'?"

"I-" He tapped the brakes and pulled to the side of the road.

"Oh not again," Luna said, looking around. "You have _got_ to be kidding. Three attacks in one day? Against the same person, as well?"

"So that's unusual?" he asked as he stepped out of the car and summoned his armor.

"At best," she replied. "How can whoever is doing this even have more of the things to send after us? They must have a tremendous amount of them on hand. Which means they're more powerful than we feared."

"Well maybe-" Seiji drew his sword. "Luna get back!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone reading this knows a great deal about the streets of Shinjuku, please message me. It shouldn't impact the writing of the next couple of chapters if no one does, but it would be a great help.


	21. In the Darkness

_A wall of shadow monsters fell over Seiji, blocking him from sight completely._

_The strange woman cried out, shooting as many as she could with arrows until her quiver emptied and she drew her dagger to stab the closest ones._

_A burst of light filled the area, burning away many of the shadow monsters, but not nearly enough. The light was weak, as if Seiji did not have quite enough strength to give it his all._

_More of the shadow monsters came to fill in where others had been burned away, covering the struggling green senshi._

_"Luna, run!" he managed to cry out before his voice was muffled._

_"Seiji!" She cried, knocking another of the beasts aside. More started to turn towards her and this time she did run, back to the car. A golden light covered her back as the creatures lunged at her, though she seemed to stumble from blows as they hit the shield protecting her._

_But Ryo focused back on Seiji. The creatures were scrabbling at his armor, as if they were attempting to rip him apart. And the mound was slowly moving away from the car, towards town._

_The armor was strong, but Seiji had used up too much strength too soon after their last battle. As he weakened even further in his attempts to fend them off, he felt them biting at him._

_His screams filled Ryo's ears._

Ryo jerked awake, nearly falling from the bed and startling Byakuen, who jumped onto the end of the bed and growled at the air, as if it was waiting to attack.

* * *

"That idiot!" Touma yelled. "He shouldn't have gone! All his words about suicidal idiots running off to fights they can't handle and he does that very thing! What, did all that sunlight leave him blind?"

"That's not helpful Touma," Shin said, standing near Luna, who was itching to leave. She had returned to get help from these people. She was clearly out of her depth and needed whatever help these strangers could offer. If they had defeated Arago and had similar powers to Seiji, surely more of them together would be enough to combat whoever was behind all of this? But they just stood around arguing rather than doing anything.

"If he was weak enough to be captured by… evil spiders?" Naaza commented drily, glancing at Luna, "Perhaps he deserves his fate."

"Shut up," Shu replied, then looked at Shutendoji. "We need to go after him. Who knows what they'll do to him, wherever they took him."

"None of us is in any shape to—" Touma began.

"Where's Seiji?"

They all turned to see Ryo leaning on the wall. He was very pale and shivered in the room lights. Byakuen stood at his side, helping him stand.

"You shouldn't be up," Shin said, coming over to try and take him back upstairs. "You're still recovering, Ryo."

"No!" Ryo pulled back from him. "I heard him! Seiji! He was… he was screaming."

"You were having a nightmare," Shin replied quietly.

"No!" Ryo insisted. "The last time this happened, you were all captured by Sarenbo! It was _real_."

"Ryo probably is more connected to our armors than the rest of us," Touma said, thoughtful. "As the wielder of the Shiroi Kikotei. We've had this before. He's better than Seiji at tracking things."

"So what?" Shin asked, turning back to Touma. "You want to send him out after Seiji? Of all of us, he's the least ready to go raring off for a new adventure."

Ryo opened his mouth to retort, but a wave of dizziness made him sink to the ground, where Byakuen nuzzled his shoulder. He held his head as he heard more screams.

Touma walked over. "Ryo, what are you hearing? Did you see something?"

"Just… just darkness. And Seiji screaming."

Anubis snorted. "Well that's incredibly helpful."

Shutendoji grabbed Shu's arm before the boy could break a plate over Anubis' head. "Anubis, shut up." He looked at Luna. "Do you know the spots in the city where the monsters have been attacking?"

"Yes, but we've checked them all."

"Not with us. It's a start." Shutendoji looked at the others. "We'll drive into town. Somehow I doubt whoever it is has a lair far from their prey, for ease of movement if nothing else. Proximity might help Ryo track them down. Then, together, we'll deal with this."

"And who died and put you in charge?" Naaza demanded.

"I'm the person who knows the most about the armors," Shutendoji replied, looking at Naaza coldly. "If someone with as much power as Luna implies has their hands on one of us, there are a lot of bad things they could do and it would affect the rest of us. For starters, Ryo is still linked to Seiji. If this person manages to affect Ryo, and the Shiroi Kikotei… well you don't want to know the consequences." He waited, but Naaza only pursed his lips and looked away.

"Now," Shutendoji continued, "Luna, take your bike and guide us. I'll drive the car. The rest of you follow behind. But try to stay out of sight when we get to the city. The last thing we need is the media trying to track down flying armored people."

Getting everyone settled to move out would have been worse if Shutendoji had not been there to order people into place. Shu and Shin helped Ryo get into the backseat of the car. Touma went with Luna on her motorcycle, so that he could help if she was caught in the cross-fire. Naaza went in the passenger seat of the car, so that Shutendoji could keep his eyes on the man. Kayura filled the rest of the backseat with Shin and Ryo. Shu rode on Byakuen's back, ready to help Luna and Touma if needed. Rajura preferred to run and keep an eye on things from above, with a silent Anubis leading the way.

"You sure you're up for this Kayura?" Shin asked as they each held one of Ryo's shoulders. Although she was awake, she was still far too pale.

She smiled. "I can always stay in the car with Ryo. Simply being out of the demon realm has done wonders to help."

"We'll get you back to your rest soon enough," Shutendoji said "All of us will be back there soon enough. But I fear that if we try to take care of this in singles or small groups, whoever it is will just pick us off, with the shape we're in."

"So we're to all go in together and collapse in a heap?" Naaza asked. "Brilliant solution."

"Together," Shutendoji sharply replied, "We can lean on each other. The armors do better together. Unless it's Arago reborn, even a powerful enemy should not be able to stand up to eight of us, plus Kayura."

"Or six, really," Naaza commented. "If two of us are out of commission."

They drove over a bump and Shin moved forward, sharply bumping Naaza's chair and nearly bashing the former Demon Mashou's head into the dashboard.

"Sorry," Shin said, sitting back up.

Kayura rolled her eyes. Naaza coughed and sat back, crossing his arms and glaring out the passenger window.

"Shutendoji," Shin asked, completely innocent, "When did you learn how to drive?"

"After Arago was 'defeated' the first time. I was working with some local temples and it helped to get people and cargo around. It was oddly a nice way to take a break from training."

"You took breaks from learning… by doing more learning? Are you sure you and Touma aren't secretly siblings?"

Shutendoji smiled.

* * *

"It'll take us a while to get there if it's all on foot," Luna commented as she walked out of the parking garage onto the crowded Shinjuku street.

"We don't have enough vehicles and we can't take Byakuen through the streets," Touma replied, stepping out beside her and scanning the crowd thoughtfully. "Plus, if we send you alone or with just one of us, one or both of you might be caught, too."

"Still," Luna said, "Let's hope your friends don't get us arrested anyway. They're creeping people out." She eyed the former Demon Mashou with a frown.

Anubis, Naaza and Rajura were walking together in a clump, glaring generally in different directions. Passersby were giving them a wide berth, despite the crowded streets, and ducking out of their sight.

"Would you three relax a little?" Shin asked sharply, glancing around with a forced smile. "If we get arrested for freaking someone out, that's another set of problems."

Rajura smiled, which made several people on the street blush and quickly turn away.

"Stop showing off," Naaza said, glaring even more.

"I have no idea what you mean," Rajura replied, still smiling.

"Aren't we a bit conspicuous like this?" asked Anubis. The three of them still only wore their sub-yorois. Despite Rajura's smile, they all looked very uncomfortable.

"You look like weird construction workers," Touma replied, "and that's good enough. Or cosplayers, if that's not good enough." _It's probably hard to be around so many humans at once after so long, particularly in the modern day._

Kayura stayed by Ryo's side, helping him to stand, with the shakujo in her free hand. Shutendoji stood close to her with his eyes shut, listening. For some reason, no one paid them as much attention as Naaza, Rajura and Anubis.

"This way," Ryo stepped out of Kayura's hold and began walking through the crowd.

"R-kuso!" Shin chased after him.

Shu glared at the former Demon Mashou before they followed quickly after Ryo and Shin. Touma and Luna brought up the end of their train.

Ryo was so focused on his goal – finding Seiji – that he didn't realize that people actually moved out of his way before he got to them.

"So much for being inconspicuous," Touma murmured, glancing around at the swath Ryo made through the crowd. People stared at the group as they passed.

"Big groups move through town every day," Luna replied, walking quickly. "I doubt a group of people walking together will make the news. We're not even carrying weapons."

"You are."

"But no one is watching me," she replied, shrugging her quiver. She had refilled it from stores on her bike. "Because I blend. Are you always like this in crowds?"

"We haven't been around this many humans in a long time. I'm rather amazed about all this, particularly…" Touma couldn't even see Ryo at the head of the group. He was just following Shu.

Ryo still wasn't comfortable around so many people, but Seiji was distracting him enough that he could largely ignore them all. For once, he listened to the armor and let it pull him towards Seiji. He didn't even notice that the air around his body was steaming.

* * *

Seiji's whole body hurt. He felt like his armor was attempting to burn his skin off. He opened his eyes to look around and see where he was. He saw a large, mostly empty and dark space. Was it nighttime? The air felt still. The place was dimly lit by old electric lights on the ceiling. An enclosed room, maybe? He heard muttering and turned his head to his left to see a hunched figure in a lab coat standing by a table some distance away, hunched over something.

He couldn't sense the other senshi nearby, and vaguely recalled the spider monster attack and a sense of being dragged along the ground. His head felt like someone was banging it with a pan. He attempted to move, but found that his wrists and ankles were restrained. He looked up and saw the ties attached to a board that held him up in a sort of standing position. He looked at the ground. Wires trailed from his ankle restraints over the ground towards the table.

His armor had deactivated and was back to his sub-yoroi. He focused to summon his armor back. Immediately, the wires went live and electricity shot through the restraints. He cried out, and his focus on summoning the armor shattered.

"Silly," a sniffling voice said. Seiji looked up through the pain to see the labcoat figure looking at him. The figure straightened and walked towards Seiji. He was balding, with a slicked-back comb over, and large, thick glasses. A laptop sat on the abandoned table, attached to an assortment of wires amidst various filled jars of differently colored substances. The man tilted his head as he got to Seiji. "Still strong enough to stay awake? Fascinating."

"Who are you?" Seiji demanded. "Where am I?"

The man snorted. "I think you're confused about how things work here." He clicked a remote in his hand.

More electricity. Seiji's head hit the board behind him and he cried out again. He blinked and the world tilted.

"Now," the man said, "Who are you?"

Seiji spat at him. He somehow managed to get the man's left arm. The shock this time left him breathless.

"Are there more of you?" The man continued.

"Millions," Seiji finally wheezed. "Millions."

The man sighed. "You're as useless as the other one when he first got here. But you'll learn." He turned and walked back to the table.

"You're in the lion's den, now," another voice quietly said to Seiji's right. Seiji looked in that direction, craning his head a bit to see. There was another prisoner tied up. He had dark brown skin, short white hair, and seemed to be wearing a black sub-yoroi. His gray eyes met Seiji's with a tired, but firm resolve.

"The name is Yasuke. I've been here for some time, though it's hard to keep track of days. Do you remember what day it was when you were attacked?"

Seiji was still staring at him in complete bewilderment.

"You still with me? The shocks won't kill you, but they'll leave you disorientated for a time."

"How… where did you get that armor?"

"My-where did you get yours?"

"It's a—" Seiji looked back at the balding man and stopped talking. Was this a trick to interrogate him? An illusion to gain trust?

"Oh, Shikaisen is pretty deaf."

"How do you know that."

"Been here a while. I talk to myself sometimes and he doesn't notice. Or doesn't look at me anyway, which might say something else…"

"Who is he?"

"Some scientist, I think. He's been conducting experiments since I got here. He's been mixing science and magic. Beyond that, no idea."

"What's he trying to do?"

"Make something, I imagine. He originally tried to take my armor. I refused. And even if I wanted, I couldn't take it off. He gave up on that. Captured more Youja."

"He captured a—how? Isn't he human?"

"So far as I can tell he's just a human. And it wasn't the first he caught. He's been using a mix of whatever he's doing. Traps them and drags them down here." Yasuke flinched and shut his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Power drain. He may not have my armor for his own, but he figured out a way to use it."

"Even while it's deactivated?"

"Yeah."

"But what's he doing?"

"Were you attacked by some black spider monsters?"

"Yeah."

"He's been forming the things from Youja. But they seem hard to maintain. Backed by the armor power, though, they thrive and multiply."

"But how—"

"Look."

Seiji looked back at the table. The overhead light flickered. Shikaisen was staring at his screen. To his right, a mound of what Seiji had thought was detritus but what now looked more like bits of faded Youja armor piled together, glowed. Above them, black energy pooled and formed another of the shadow spiders.

Pain hit Seiji like a sledgehammer. He closed his eyes and cried out.

"That's the power drain," Yasuke said. "Try not to fight it. It'll just knock you unconscious."

"He's been using these things to attack people!" Seiji finally said between panting breaths. The new creature shuffled away from Shikaisen into the darkness.

"I know," Yasuke said. "But we help no one if we're just sleeping power batteries. Between us, we have the chance to come up with an escape."

"I can't summon my armor or get out of these restraints. Somehow I doubt spit will injure him."

"We'll figure something out. Look to your left. See the spider?"

Seiji looked and was shocked to realize that the chamber wasn't dark from lack of lighting. Shadow monsters coated the floor and walls. It took a moment for his eyes to settle on one on the ground nearby that wasn't moving. It briefly struggled, then vanished.

"What—?"

"Shh."

Seiji looked back at Yasuke, who had his eyes shut and was sweating. He finally sighed and reopened his eyes. Seiji stared in shock. Yasuke's eyes were briefly bright red before the color faded back to gray. "What did you do?"

"It's how I've survived. Shikaisen isn't big on room service. The armor helped initially, but it wasn't quite enough. It actually started absorbing the things on its own. But I found that if I focused, I could choose specific ones. I think Shikaisen assumes that they just fail to stay together. He doesn't notice when one or two vanish. They're based on our energy, after all."

"And Youja. You're absorbing demonic energy, too."

"That's what I do normally. I'll adjust to it."

"You absorb demonic energy?"

"You don't?"

"No."

"Well you might have to if we can't figure a way out."

Seiji opened his mouth to reply when he felt a familiar flicker of flame in the corner of his mind, followed by a number of softer, also familiar auras. He smiled. "Well I think things aren't so dire yet. We've got some friends on the way."

"They could be caught. He's got an army of those things."

"I don't think it'll be enough for who's coming. Although… how many of the spiders can you absorb at once?"

"Two or three, maybe five if I really try."

Seiji frowned and looked back at the circle and the scientist. "We can't really cull his numbers, but we might be able to stop him from making more." He looked back at Yasuke. "When my friends get here, focus on Shikaisen. If he makes any more of the monsters, absorb as many as you can."

"Okay... but what are you going to do?"

"See how much power Shikaisen's electrical system can take."

* * *

"Ryo, stop!" Shin grabbed Ryo's shoulder before the red senshi could go down a set of unlit stairs in the middle of an empty alley. Their group had left the crowds behind and were on the edge of town again. The few people who saw them only glanced at Ryo and Shin before leaving the vicinity.

"This isn't anywhere near the attack spots," Luna said as she and Touma caught up.

"He's nearby," Ryo said, firmly. He swayed abruptly and had to lean against a wall.

Shin leaned forward to look at his face. "You all right? Do you need to lie down?"

"No…" Ryo replied with a shudder. Byakuen walked into the alley - he had followed them in a nondescript way out of sight - and nuzzled Ryo's leg. The red senshi pat the cat's forehead.

Touma grimaced. "What is that stench? It's like someone hid a patch of demon realm down there."

Anubis glanced around. "It's like a bunch of Youja, but not, somehow. Odd."

Kayura shivered. "Something is very wrong about this. Even for Youja."

Shutendoji looked around, concerned. "But if there were as many as it feels like, people would be reacting more. Becoming violent, fearful. Whatever is off about them... We need to proceed with caution."

"Seiji is down there in the middle of it," Ryo said as he got up to walk to the stairs.

Shin grabbed him again. "Ryo, you're not doing him any favors if you collapse inside."

Ryo looked at Shin. His face was pale and sweaty. The air around him heated up and Shin snatched his hand away. "Ryo, what would Seiji want?"

"Not to be trapped in a dark hole," Shu said.

"We'll go first," Rajura said.

The others looked at him, the Yoroi Senshi with a mix of confusion. Shutendoji narrowed his eyes.

"We're used to the aura," Rajura replied. "If they swarm us, we'll be better off."

Touma pursed his lips.

Anubis snorted. "You're scared that we'll do something to Korin. You still don't trust us."

"Gee, I wonder why," Shu drawled. "You in particular, Anubis. You hate Seiji."

"And yet I'm willing to walk into what is doubtless a trap to help him. Against my lack of desire to come here in the first place."

"We don't have time for this," Luna said, her fingers itching for her bow. "Your friend is in trouble and there's a monster down there attacking people. I'll go if you're so worried. It's not affecting me."

"Not up here," Naaza said, "But once you go down those stairs, you'll be gone."

"We could stand around forever," Ryo said, "Or I could go down now. Send them," he nodded his head to the former Demon Mashou, "down and we'll follow. They can't do much damage with four of us – and Luna – around.

Touma and Shin shared a look, then looked to Shutendoji. The sort-of-monk smiled. "We'll face whatever problems arise as they do so. Plus, there's more of us than them."

"Thanks for the camaraderie," Naaza said."

"The regular human shouldn't go," Rajura said, looking at Luna. "She'll be overwhelmed by the demonic energy."

"Just try to stop me," Luna replied, crossing her arms. "This is my fight. I've lost too many friends to this. I need to see it through."

"I'll stay by her," Kayura said. "I need to stay back so I can concentrate, to try and sort out what's going on. I can shield us both." She smiled at Luna, who smiled gratefully back.

"Then let's go," Touma said, before more objections could rise.

Anubis led the way down, with Naaza and Rajura behind. Ryo, with Shin, Shutendoji and Byakuen at his heels, followed. Shu, Luna, Touma and Kayura brought up the rear. Kayura murmured, and a soft golden glow formed around Luna and Kayura.

They quickly left the sunlight behind and the corridor became pitchblack. Luna pulled a flare out of a pocket and lit it, allowing the others to see.

"That'll alert whoever or whatever is down there that we're here," Anubis said. He was quiet, but the place echoed.

"There are eight of us and a giant tiger," Luna replied. "If they don't already know that we're coming, my flare will make no difference."

"And those of us who can't see in the dark won't fall on top of you, Anubis," Shin finished.

Luna put the flare on her belt so her hands were free in case of a fight.

The stairs shrank and disappeared as they moved on, until the group walked on rough gravel. The tunnel floor flattened.

"There's a light ahead," Anubis finally said. "And a lot of demonic energy."

Luna shivered. "Even _I_ can feel that."

"You can go back if you need to," Touma said. "There's enough of us here."

"No, I'll be fine." She smiled. "I've got protections of my own."

"Then keep them close," Touma replied. "And stay to the back with me."

"I'm _not_ staying out of the fight!"

"I know. But we're both archers. We'll be a lot more useful watching the others' backs."

"Oh."

"The tunnel opens up," Anubis said.

"They're moving," Naaza added. "And there's a lot of whatever they are."

"Armor up," Shin said, "And get ready to fight."

Multi-colored light filled the tunnel and Luna shut her eyes before it all blinded her. When she opened them, the others all wore their armor. It was rather intimidating. Suddenly she felt less bad about staying at the back with Touma and Kayura, although she worried that she would have trouble aiming in the dark.

"I'll find Korin," Rajura said before he vanished. Naaza and Anubis ran into the room ahead.

"Wonderful," Shu said.

"Come on," Ryo said, running after them. Shutendoji, Shin and Shu followed. Touma and Luna nocked arrows and kept to the back, crouching, with Kayura murmuring a shield spell into formation.

* * *

A/N: In case anyone is confused, Yasuke = Mukala (from the OVA with the Kuroi Kikotei). I would have kept his OVA name but I don't know if it's a real Tanzanian name, so I tried to follow the trend for most of the other senshi, who are named after various famous Japanese warriors. You may notice that I am not the most creative of individuals. In my version he's Japanese, with Tanzanian ancestry.

On that note, hello again! Sorry about the ridiculous hiatus. I actually had this written up a while ago but between school, work, my health, NaNoWriMo, family drama and so on, well... Yeah.

But fear not! Exams just ended and I'm on break so I have time to finish editing the final chapters of this fic, all of which are already written and just waiting to be edited into publishable shape. I repeat, they are written. Just need to be edited.

Yes, this story will be ending, and soon (not now though, **this** is **not** the last chapter). It's got maybe two or three more chapters. Not more than five. It's not because of anything that's been going on with me. Where I chose to end it is around where my original outline of the story ended, albeit not how I initially imagined it would end, but well... that's the editing process. And I think the ending takes it as far as I can go. No promises on publishing, although I'll try for one a week, at the least. Thanks for sticking around!


	22. New Flame

Seiji and Yasuke saw the glow of multi-colored lights.

"What is that?" Yasuke asked.

"Friends," Seiji replied. "Can you make sure that Shikaisen doesn't make any more spider monsters?"

"I'll try." Yasuke focused on the circle, which even now was forming new monsters. The creature started to struggle in midair.

Shikaisen, however, was frowning at the monitor before he turned to look past Seiji, towards the noise. Seiji attempted to follow his gaze and saw the spider monsters moving. Probably to attack the others. Seiji ignored that – there was nothing he could do about it. But he focused, as well, attempting to force whatever energy he had into the restraints. The electric charge started up, but he fought with it. When the power drain started, Seiji went with it, cramming whatever power he had down the wires. Shikaisen looked back at the laptop in surprise as an alarm started to go off, then glanced at Seiji.

"What are you doing?"

Seiji ignored him. He couldn't really spare anything for the man through the pain, anyway.

Black lightning ripped through the sea of spider-monsters. Water flushed the things around the room, smashing them to pieces. The ground broke up and crushed others, while shards of dirt and concrete crashed through them. Fire seared many of them. Shikaisen glanced at the destruction and then went back to his computer, typing rapidly.

Seiji called, "Now, Yasuke!"

The forming shadow spider vanished from sight. Simultaneously, sparks began to fly from Shikaisen's equipment. The scientist looked up in surprise, reread his readings on the computer and looked to Seiji. "What are you doing? Stop that!"

Seiji ignored him and the electrical shocks. He could hardly feel them, particularly when the wires near his feet exploded from energy overload.

Shikaisen backed away from the table with his arms protectively over his face. He grabbed a jar off the table and said, "If you don't stop, I'll—!"

Rajura appeared from the darkness and cut the man down. The jar shattered when the scientist fell, spilling a small cloud of grey smoke. Rajura backed away from it.

"No!" Seiji cried.

Rajura looked at him and used his blades to cut the green senshi down.

Seiji fell to the ground, then glared up at the man. "Why did you kill him?"

Rajura snorted. "He kidnapped you and strung you up like a fish. A 'thank you' would be nice."

"He was human, you idiot!"

"Maybe once." Rajura pointed at what had once been the scientist, but was now a dissolving mass of murky energy on the ground that steamed. "Humans corrupted by demonic energy don't last long." Whatever had been in the jar burned away what was left and dissipated.

Seiji swallowed.

Shutendoji landed on the ground nearby and leaned down on his knees for a moment, taking a breather. "The next time you jump into an unknown situation Rajura, don't be shocked if it bites back."

Rajura snorted and looked at Yasuke. "Who's your friend?" Yasuke was still tied up and looking at Rajura in the same shock Seiji had when he had first seen Yasuke.

"His name is Yasuke," Seiji said. "Cut him down, too. He's on our side."

Yasuke fell to the ground beside Seiji once he was free. He tried and failed to get up. "We need to destroy the rest of his equipment. Make sure no one can make any more of those things."

Rajura looked the area over. "I think Korin did a pretty good job of that."

Seiji summoned his armor, which strained already exhausted muscles. But he had a job to do. "Let me make sure."

* * *

Shin blasted more water across the room while Anubis and Naaza went after clumps of the shadow monsters. Shu stood by the wall near the exit and focused, keeping the cavern from crumbling around them. Ryo threw fire as well, although it drained what few reserves he had. After that he hung back with Touma, Luna, and Kayura, the former of whom fired at targets from a distance, lit up by the energy attacks around the room and the lights left on after Seiji attacked the electrical system. Kayura murmured quietly to herself, keeping a protective barrier around the group. Spiders raced for them and burned to crisps once they touched it, squealing in agony.

"Relax Ryo," Touma said as he paused to survey things. "We have this."

"There are so many of them," Ryo said.

Luna brushed sweat from her brow and shook her hands out. "No kidding. We need to end this before they attack more people."

"There's a platform on the other side of the room," Touma said. "I see Seiji! He's alive."

Ryo sighed in relief. But then he felt a sort of mental tug from his armor. He could sense the others in the room. Touma glowed dark blue nearby. Shu glowed orange behind them. Shin was bright a blue spot in the midst of the shadow monsters. Naaza was greenish red and floated in the air. Anubis was dark gray and standing on a wall. Rajura was a far off pink glow, and Seiji was a dim green. But near the last two was an unfamiliar dark blur. It wasn't murky like demonic energy. It was similar to Anubis, who could hide in darkness. But it was powerful, too. Ryo reached out to it and felt the spirit of the Shiroi Kikotei wake up and reach out as well, hungrily.

Touma groaned and knelt on the ground.

"You all right?" Luna asked, looking down at him.

Kayura looked to Ryo with a frown, but did not let up on her protections.

Naaza toppled from the air. Anubis caught him and landed on the ground near Shu.

"What's going on?" Naaza growled through the pain.

Rajura, who was watching Seiji and Shutendoji inspect the equipment, groaned and fell down. Seiji and Shutendoji turned to him, surprised.

"What is this?" Yasuke said as he hugged himself and curled into a ball.

"Oh no," Shutendoji said, looking to Ryo.

Ryo was floating in the air as the Shiroi Kikotei formed. In his weakened state it was still painfully hot. But for some reason it didn't scald him as much as usual. He looked around the room, seeing the shadow monsters pool in sharp detail.

"What is that?" Luna asked, staring at the floating white armor in shock.

"We need to get out of here," Touma said. "He could bring the whole place down. Shin!" The bright blue senshi looked at him. "Help Seiji! We need to leave." Then he grabbed Luna's arm and pulled her away back up the corridor. Kayura started backing up with them, keeping spiders from following.

Anubis pulled Naaza up to a standing position and followed.

Shin leapt over to Seiji, Rajura and Yasuke. "We have to get out of here."

"Grab _him_ ," Seiji said, pointing to Yasuke.

"Who—?"

"He's like us. Go!"

Shin grabbed the stranger's arm, pulled it around his own neck and leapt to the corridor. Shutendoji did the same for Rajura. Seiji looked back at Ryo, still floating in the air and called, "Come on Shu, let's get out of here."

Byakuen watched them go, then roared at Ryo. Byakueno's image superimposed itself over his white fur. Ryo floated down to him and drew the swords from the tiger's back. Energy gathered more quickly in his hands than it had before. He almost didn't hear the sudden screams of the shadow spiders.

"Rage… of… inferno!" White-hot flame filled the cavern, vaporizing shadow monsters and what equipment Shikaisen had left.

* * *

The others gathered at the tunnel entrance. Rajura had shrugged off Shutendoji's help and sat on the ground near Anubis and Naaza. The three were in various states of queasiness and trying to hide it, albeit badly. Touma had let go of Luna's hand and now leaned against a wall away from the entrance, trying to get his balance and make the world stop tilting. Luna checked her weapons, then looked around at the group to see if everyone was alright. She spotted Seiji but left him alone after seeing the dark expression on his face as he looked at the tunnel entrance beside Shin and Shu. Yasuke sat on the ground near Seiji's feet, holding his head in his hands. Shutendoji and Kayura stood together and watched the entrance to the tunnel silently. They all felt the rumbling of the Shiroi Kikotei's attack.

"How is he going to get out?" Shin asked. "He could be trapped down there."

"I'll go back," Shu offered. "It didn't take my power. I can—"

The Shiroi Kikotei flew out of the entrance and landed before them, raising the temperature in the area a number of degrees. Luna backed away with an arm over her face. Byakuen leapt out just behind Ryo with a growl. The others stared, shocked, as Ryo sheathed the swords on Byakuen's back and walked, still glowing with power, to Yasuke, who had the strength to put his head up. The white-haired senshi stared at Ryo in shock.

"Who are you?" Ryo asked. The Shiroi Kikotei faded away, and Ryo didn't collapse. He shuddered a bit, but kept standing and watching Yasuke.

"Yasuke, I'm-I'm Yasuke."

After the heat faded, Luna put her arm down and approached the group again. "Yasuke? You were there all this time! We thought you died!" She ran over to him, looking him over. "You look terrible."

He smiled. "I've had a rough time."

"I'm sorry we didn't find you sooner. We should get you to the hospital."

"I should go home," he said. "They can take care of me there."

"But—"

"Where did you come from?" Ryo asked.

"My village is a ways away from town. I came to investigate when we were asked for help by another temple," Yasuke replied.

"You have an armor," Shutendoji said, staring at him. "Like the nine armors. But… how?"

"Was the equipment destroyed, Ryo?" Seiji asked, concerned about more pressing matters.

"Yes. There's nothing down there but scorch marks."

"That's a problem," Touma said. "We need—"

"To leave the area," Shin finished. "Demonic energy may have scared people off, but with it gone, people may return and authorities could be here soon to investigate the rumbling."

"Did you drive here?" Ryo asked Yasuke.

"No, I took the bus."

"Come with us, then," Seiji said. "We'll get you back home."

"There are too many of us," Shin said. "We can't all fit on Luna's bike and in the car. And where are we going?"

"Let's just get to the garage first," Touma said. "We'll decide from there."

"I can take someone on Byakuen," Ryo said, looking at them. Byakuen walked over to him and brush lightly scratched his neck.

"Ryo, that's too dangerous. You just summoned the Shiroi Kikotei and there might be more of those things out there…"

"You can ride the tiger?"

They all looked at Yasuke, who was staring in amazement at the giant cat.

"Uh… yes," Ryo replied. "Do you want to um… try it?"

"Sure! That sounds so cool!"

"You were just kidnapped for how long?" Seiji asked. "I'd think you'd be more suspicious of total strangers."

"You vouched for them," Yasuke said. "Luna's here... And if I was afraid, it's not like I could get away from whatever just happened. Besides, you all might be a hallucination brought on by stress. If this is a hallucination, riding a tiger sounds like a neat way to spend it."

"Okay," Ryo replied. "But you need to hold on tight to me. You look like you're going to collapse."

"Ryo, that's—" Touma began.

"It's dark," Ryo interrupted. "And Byakuen knows his way around. Yasuke will show us the way, and we'll wait on the edge of town for the rest of you."

"I'll follow," Shu said as he looked at Touma. "I've got more energy than most of you and it's not like we can all fit in the car and Luna's motorcycle."

Seiji touched Touma's shoulder before the blue-haired senshi could retort. "It's fine, Touma. We'll see them when we leave town."

"Look," Yasuke said, "I really appreciate all of this, but I really don't want to set up alarms at my village. You don't exactly blend in well… At least all together like this."

"You shouldn't head out on your own," Seiji replied. "You were down there far too long, even with those monsters gone. It would be dangerous."

"You could call," Luna said. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, and offered it to Yasuke. "Tell them what's going on. I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from you."

Yasuke took the phone gratefully and walked a short distance away to make the call in some privacy.

Ryo deactivated his armor and hopped on Byakuen's back. Touma walked up to him and quietly asked, "Are you really all right?"

"I'm not sure if it's adrenaline or… what exactly," Ryo said. "But I feel… 'fine' isn't the right word. Not like I usually do when I use the Shiroi Kikotei."

"Take it easy," Touma said. "If you get tired, have Yasuke or Shu call us, all right?"

"Okay."

"…I know," Yasuke said. "It's a bit much. But I'll see you soon, okay? …Bye." He hung up and handed the phone back to Luna. "All right. They know we're coming. They're a bit skeptical – obviously – and wanted to come down here themselves. But I told them to wait for us to get there instead." He looked at Ryo on the tiger and hesitated. "Well that's not something you see everyday."

Ryo raised an eyebrow in him. "You see giant shadow-spider monsters every day?"

"Only since I've been captive." Yasuke had a grim grin on his face and got on the seat behind Ryo on Byakuen's back.

"You should probably uh… hold my chest," Ryo said, "We'll be doing a lot of jumping." Yasuke complied and Byakuen set off, with Shu following behind.

* * *

When the main group reached the car and Luna's motorcycle, Luna said, "I should report back to my temple to tell them what happened."

"One of us should go with you," Seiji said. "In case there are more of those things scattered in the city."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Glad to see that you're okay, too."

Seiji snorted, but smiled back anyway.

"Seiji, go with the others," Touma said. "I'll go with Luna. You need rest." He looked at Shutendoji and Kayura. "You too should head back, too. Neither of you are in any shape to be out and about." He looked at Shin. "And don't you _dare_ let Seiji drive."

Seiji glared, but got into the passenger side of the vehicle while Shutendoji took the wheel, raising an eyebrow when Shin looked like he might offer. Shin put his hands up and went to sit in the backseat with Kayura and Anubis, while Seiji sat in the passenger seat. Naaza and Rajura decided to run behind. They could track the other senshi by their aura if they got too far behind.

"Does that happen often?" Anubis asked as they left the garage. "Rekka sucks up our power to make that white armor?"

"Define 'often'", Shin replied.

* * *

After a long, awkward silence occasionally broken by Yasuke giving a direction or two, Yasuke asked, "So why do you have a pet tiger?" They finally left the city limits. The sky had darkened and there were fewer people around, so it was safer, but they still stayed away from any cars if they heard them.

"Childhood friend."

"Your parents gave you a pet tiger?"

"It's more like he found me and decided to stay."

Yasuke looked back to look at Shu, who was an orange blur behind them. "There are so many of you."

"We thought we were all there was," Ryo said. "Why do you have an armor?"

"It's a family heirloom," Yasuke replied.

"But it's like _ours_. There are only supposed to be nine of us."

"…There are ten."

"You _knew_?"

"Yes. It's a secret my family has been charged with for generations. My armor was created long before the other nine. Kaos gravely wounded Arago some time before he finally defeated the demon. A piece of the demon was left behind when Arago fled. Kaos consulted with other spiritualists on what to do with it. He finally attempted to craft it into a weapon to use against Arago: an armor that could withstand Arago's power and use them against him. But he also feared that, as it was the only one of its kind, Arago would simply reclaim it. So he and others like him hid it away, with powerful individuals to guard it."

"But why didn't you help during Arago's invasion? The rest of us were there."

"Arago invaded Tokyo, not all of Japan. I was out in the countryside doing what I've been doing most of my life. Dealing with various demons and keeping the peace. My armor is also a last-ditch defense, should Arago fully emerge into our realm."

"He nearly did."

"I'm sorry," Yasuke said. "I sensed it. I wanted to go. But I had my responsibilities."

"You've been fighting alone all this time?"

"It's my duty. My armor's capabilities allow it."

"What can your armor do?"

"Its main ability is absorption of demonic energy."

"What?! That's dangerous! That almost killed me!"

"Kaos believed that what Arago lost in my armor was his greatest ability to absorb demonic energy. Even demons aren't vacuum cleaner black holes. They can die from energy overload. It's probably why it took so long for Arago to reemerge – he couldn't regain what he lost in the battle with Kaos. My family is mixed with powerful spiritualists to be able to bear the armor and keep it hidden from Arago, should he ever return."

"No wonder the Shiroi Kikotei wasn't so exhausting this time," Ryo said. "I probably absorbed some of the monsters in that cavern to supply the armor with power. Usually I just pull from the others and myself."

"That white armor… That's the Shiroi Kikotei?"

"Yeah," Ryo replied. "It's a long story…"


	23. The Joining

            Yasuke looked back to the car following them as Byakuen raced down the road. They had caught up with Ryo, Yasuke, and Shu fairly quickly. Although Ryo didn’t seem concerned that they were riding a giant white tiger at night on a road, Yasuke hoped they didn’t spook any late-night drivers or bicyclists.

            Yasuke turned back to Ryo and said, “You know I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m a bit glad I missed out on everything you all have been through. It sounds awful.”

            “It definitely was,” Ryo replied. “I don’t blame anyone for wanting nothing to do with it. I certainly have, any number of times.”

            “Admittedly I’ve only known you for, what… 30 minutes now? But I have to say, you don’t seem like someone who runs from problems.”

            Ryo laughed. “You’re seeing me in one of my better moments, I guess. Ask Seiji or Touma sometime about my bad ones. …On second thought, don’t. I have to keep some dignity.”

            Yasuke laughed.

            Ryo added, “I’m sorry. You should be resting, recovering… I don’t really know what to do to help someone who’s been trapped in a hole in the ground for so long.”

            Yasuke smiled. “You sure were ready to jump in back there, though.”

            Ryo laughed. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing. It might be part of my virtue. I was taught that if there’s something good you can do, you have a prerogative to do it. And I just… other people save me all the time. I wanted to be the one who did the saving for once. Although maybe if I’d left you with the others you’d be resting or something now…”

            “No it’s okay,” Yasuke replied. “I appreciate your concern, and your desire to help. It’s a good quality. Charming, really.”

            Ryo laughed again, not knowing how else to respond. Yasuke smiled, glad Ryo wasn’t looking at his face. Yasuke looked up at the stars. “You know it’s nice to finally meet people who _get_ what the armors are like. My grandmother had the armor before I did, and I talked to her a bit about it, but it’s still just the one armor. Hearing about others working with them, struggling… it’s a change. A nice one, I think.”

            “It’s nice to meet someone who goes through some of what I do with my armor,” Ryo replied. “The absorption… I thought it was going to drive me mad or something one day. I thought it was wrong. But maybe… maybe that was intentional. Maybe Kaos meant things to work this way.”

            “Whatever the case,” Yasuke added, “Now that we’re together, we’ll figure it out. We’ll be an even better demon-fighting force than we were before.”

            “You’ve been kidnapped for how long and you’re already ready to jump back into the fray?”

            “Don’t forget that I’m still not entirely sure that I’m not dreaming all of this up,” Yasuke replied. “But thinking about it… what you people did back there… it was amazing. I know my people will be happy to know you’re on our side. And… I can work on making up for not being there when you needed me.”

            “You have nothing to make up for,” Ryo replied. “Demons are demons. Or well… Arago is… _was…_ Arago. Even if you’d been there, who can say how things would have been? Maybe things still would have been the same. Maybe he’d have been even stronger.” Ryo tightened his hands on Byakuen’s fur. “What’s done is done. We need to focus on what’s ahead, not what’s behind.”

            Byakuen slowed and finally came to a stop.

            Yasuke frowned. “Is something wrong?”

            Ryo swayed in his seat and sagged back against Yasuke, who caught him before he could fall off the tiger.

            “Ryo?” Yasuke asked, looking down in surprise. Ryo’s eyes were shut. Sweat coated his brow.

            Shu dropped down beside them and saw Ryo. “What happened?”

            “I don’t know. He just collapsed.”

            The car stopped nearby and Seiji got out. Even exhausted as he was, he still made tracks getting over to Ryo. “What happened?”

            “Ryo just collapsed,” Shu replied.

            Shin, Kayura, and Shutendoji got out of the car and came over. Shutendoji put a hand on Ryo’s forehead and shut his own eyes, reaching out. After a few moments he opened his eyes and put his hand down. “He’s completely exhausted. Whatever energy was keeping him going in the Shiroi KIkotei is used up. It’ll be a while before he’ll wake up.”

“What should we do?” Shin asked. “Usually we put him to bed when this happens. We could go to the safehouse…”

            “There are spirit healers at my village,” Yasuke said. “And places to stay. We’re close. Unless you have a better idea?”

            Shutendoji looked at him thoughtfully. “That sounds like a good plan. I’d try something or maybe Kayura and I could do something, but we’re both too exhausted.”

            “Okay, so are we putting him in the car?” Shu asked. He looked towards the vehicle, where Anubis still sat, his eyes shut in sleep. “Who’s getting out?”

            “I’ll switch with him,” Shin said. “He can sit in the back, next to Kayura.”

            “Then Anubis better wake up,” Seiji said, walking towards the car, “Because I’m not putting faith in his ability to care.”

            “Why Korin,” Anubis said, his eyes still shut, “you _wound_ me.”

            Getting Ryo off Byakuen and into the car was a bit of a struggle – which the Demon Mashou all stayed well away from – but the group finally managed it. Shin sat where Ryo was and Yasuke wrapped his arms around him.

            As they moved along again, Yasuke realized that he was much colder than he had been when Ryo was in front of him. The thought made him feel a bit odd.

            “So what were you and Ryo talking about, if you don’t mind my asking?” Shin said.

            “What you’ve all been doing against Arago, really. The Shiroi Kikotei.”

            “He said all that?” Shin asked. “He’s pretty talkative for once. You must have a good effect on him.”

            Yasuke felt his cheeks flush and couldn’t explain why, so he simply replied, “I didn’t do anything…”

            “It’s all right. He needs someone he can talk to. He’s too closeted with his thoughts as is.” Shin glanced back so he could meet Yasuke’s eyes. “He needs more friends.”

            “I barely know him. I barely know any of you.”

            “And I don’t expect anything from you. But Yasuke… he’s got a lot of issues to deal with. We all do, but he’s the one who’s stuck wearing the Shiroi Kikotei. What you do is your business. But I imagine that we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other in the future. And if you hurt him somehow… well… we’re his friends, too. And we look after each other.”

            Yasuke rolled his eyes. “I get it. Don’t mess with him. Even ignoring that I’m pretty sure I wasn’t a scumbag before being locked down in that dungeon for so long, do you honestly think I’d mess with someone for kicks?”

            “Like you said, we don’t know you very well. We’ve only just met,” Shin replied.

* * *

 

They finally approached Yasuke’s town – lit in the distance by street lights - but were stopped by sentries. A woman in a heavy miko robe stood in their path. Beside her stood a taller woman wearing light armor. In the car’s headlights, they could see the taller woman’s face, and that she carried a bow, with a quiver of arrows at her hip.

            Shin told Byakuen to stop and the tiger halted a short distance from the two women. Yasuke got off Byakuen and walked towards the two women. The taller one stepped forward and asked, “Yasuke?”

            “Mother…”

            She opened her arms and walked forward to embrace him. The miko smiled as she watched. After a moment, she walked up to the pair and cupped Yasuke’s cheek.

            “My little brother. We thought… I thought I’d never see you again…”

            “I was caught by a madman. He had me tied up and… it was horrible…” He stepped back from his mother and gestured to the group gathered around Byakuen and the car. “These people rescued me.”

            Seiji got out of the car and said, “I know this is a bit abrupt, but a bunch of us aren’t in the best shape. Is it all right if we go to a place where we can rest?”

            “Of course,” the miko said. “Anyone who rescued my brother is welcome. Particularly when it means we can keep an eye on you all.”

            “Is that a threat?” Seiji asked.

            “You arrive at our doorstep at night as a large armed force,” Yasuke’s mother said. “Is that not a threat?”

            Shin stepped in. “We’re all tired.” He glanced at Seiji pointedly, then back at the older woman. “Thank you for the offer of a place to stay. May we head there? One of our friends fainted.”

            “Of course,” the miko said. “We have healers who will tend to you all, particularly your friend. I am Naima. This is my mother, Adla. Welcome to our town.”

            Adla and Naima led the group into town. It was a quiet place, although there were sentries keeping watch over the place. People watched as the group went past, and Naima nodded to them all with a light smile on her face. Yasuke kept close to his family, chatting quietly with Adla. Those outside the car walked close together, and stayed near the vehicle. Shu walked alongside Shin and Byakuen.

They followed the main road to the temple, which had spare rooms and bedrolls. Shin and Shu got Ryo into a bed. A priestess approached and sat down with them to look Ryo over. Shu remained nearby while Shin got Seiji to lie down. Kayura was full of questions, but was also so tired that Yasuke’s sister got her to a bedroll, with promises to talk in the morning. Shutendoji was already out, and the former Demon Mashou, despite their clear misgivings, were also curled up in sleep by a wall.

            Shin and Shu sat near Ryo and the second miko. She had her right hand resting on Ryo’s forehead. She frowned.

            “What is it?” Shin asked.

            “The oddest thing…” the woman replied. “It’s like his energy reserves are completely drained. On any other person, I would say he was close to death. Yet… his aura. It’s like a furnace.” She looked at them. “And it reaches out to the rest of you, gathering strength. Don’t fear, he’ll live. I’ll watch over him and try to shore up his energy resources.”

            “Where’s Yasuke?” Shu asked as he settled down himself.

            “He went to his house, to his own room, so he can sleep in his own bed. There are other healers to tend to him.”

            “Okay, thanks.”

* * *

 

            When Shu dreamt, he was in a light blue void. He walked forward – there was a floor of sorts – to see Touma, Seiji, and Shin, already standing in a circle around what looked like a bonfire. Anubis, Shutendoji, Naaza, and Rajura nearly completed the circle. Shu stepped into one of the gaps near Shin. The bonfire baked his face and he started to sweat. He felt compelled to look into the flames, though he had to squint. He could barely make out a figure in the middle of the fire.

            “It’s too much,” Seiji said. “He can’t control it.”

            “Then we help,” Yasuke said, stepping forward out of the void. He wore his black armor, and Shu saw that they did. Yasuke stepped into the last empty space by Seiji, completing the circle. They all focused, connecting to each other, sharing their power, until they completely trapped the flames. Yasuke raised his left arm and the bonfire drained a bit, streaming upward to disappear in the air. The flames shrank until Ryo was clearly visible in the Shiroi Kikotei at the fire’s center. The flames still encompassed his legs, but he did not seem to be in pain. The Shiroi Kikotei faded, leaving only the Rekka armor behind. Ryo opened his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In the second OVA, Naria is Mukala's betrothed. I renamed her Naima and made her Yasuke's sister and changed some other things (don't worry, she's not romantically involved with Yasuke in this version). She shows up more next chapter.


	24. Getting Along

Ryo looked around and said, "I would really like to stop waking up in strange bedrooms."

"Does that… happen often?"

Ryo looked over to see a dark-haired miko seated near his bedroll, watching him thoughtfully.

"Um… well…"

She smiled. "Well at least your healing seems to be coming along well."

"Who are you? And where am I?"

"My name is Naima. I am one of the town miko, and Yasuke's older sister. You're currently at our temple. Your friends went to go eat and freshen up."

"Ryo!" Seiji walked in, grinning. "You're awake!"

Ryo felt much calmer with Seiji present. At least that was one person he knew. He looked back at Naima. "Where's Yasuke?"

"He came over to eat breakfast," Seiji answered. "He's doing a lot better."

"That's good… I fainted again, didn't I?"

"Yeah. Hardly surprising, given what happened."

"How are you doing?"

"Still a bit sore, but a lot better. The healers – and cooks – here know their stuff. I don't think we'll ever get Shu out of the kitchen. Pretty sure three of the cooks adopted him already."

Ryo smiled.

"Speaking of," Naima said. "You need to eat some food, Ryo. Would you like it here or in the dining area?"

"Dining area, please."

Seiji reached out to help, but Ryo – with only a slight wobble – got himself up to a standing position. Byakuen stood up from the corner where he'd been sleeping and walked beside his human as they followed Seiji out. Naima followed behind them. They arrived in the dining room, set up with a huge table full of food. Heads turned as they walked in.

Shin grinned. "Hey Ryo! Come join us!"

Ryo walked over to an empty seat by Shin as the blue senshi started loading up an empty plate with food. Ryo looked around as he sat and noticed that Kayura, Shutendoji, and Touma were missing, and that Yasuke sat across the table from him. He waved. Adla sat next to her son, quietly eating and keeping an eye on all the newcomers.

"Kayura and Shutendoji went to talk with the miko," Seiji said. "Touma is still in the city, dealing with some of the leftover shadow monsters. Luna is with him."

Shin leaned over to whisper to Ryo, "Luna's been texting him every five minutes."

"Since Touma can't have his cell out with his armor on," Seiji interrupted, doing his best and failing to look nonplussed. There was a slight reddish tint to his cheeks. "It makes sense to keep in contact with one of them."

Shin leaned in again. "I think he's more worried that since Touma's thing is archery, Luna will be more interested in him than Seiji."

"There are plenty of sharp objects here, Shin. I can still stab you."

Shin grinned mischievously.

"Bow envy is a terrible thing, Seiji," Yasuke added from across the table.

Seiji pointed a finger at him. "Don't you start."

Yasuke covered his mouth to hide a smile.

"I've known her for less time than I've known _them_ ," Seiji gestured to the former Demon Mashou, who sat next to each other and studiously ignored the Samurai Troopers as they ate in silence. "So we're friends. That's _it_."

"She's a great person to be friends with," Yasuke said. "She loves adventure and training until you drop. I think you'd be good for each other."

Seiji had a sour expression on his face as he glared at his food.

That was when Anubis chuckled.

Seiji asked, "What's so funny?"

"What?" Anubis asked. "I'm not allowed to join in on the frivolity? I thought joining in was what you people wanted."

Shin reached around Ryo to pat Seiji on the shoulder.

"Hey, remember that time she threatened to kill me about, oh, two days ago?"

"That was SO five minutes ago, Seiji," Shin replied.

"I'm so glad to hear your support in my time of need," Seiji replied.

"Well I'm supporting you by encouraging you to keep talking to the interesting woman with an apparent intent in chatting with you, even if you are a wet blanket right now."

Suzunagi chuckled. "Although animosity and threats aren't what I'd consider flirtatious behavior, I'm reminded of the time in naginata practice when Naima knocked me on my backside. It was then that I knew... _this_ is the woman I'm going to marry!" She held her fist up for dramatic effect.

Naima swatted the other woman playfully. "Oh hush. You're embarassing me."

Suzunagi grinned back at her.

Seiji ignored them all and went back to eating his food.

"How are you feeling?" Ryo asked Yasuke.

"A lot better," Yasuke replied. "I'm actually glad you got up now, because you missed my earlier interactions with food." He lowered his voice. "Unholy things can occur when you deprive me of sustenance."

Ryo laughed. "Well I'm glad you're well enough to crack jokes." He looked down at his food to start eating, and missed the look Shin shared with Seiji. Seiji quirked an eyebrow. Shin grinned.

Byakuen sat by Ryo's feet under the table. This clearly unnerved the former Demon Mashou, but after looking at the cat, then each other, they shrugged and went back to eating.

Naima had vanished into another room when Seiji, Ryo and Byakuen entered the eating area. She returned now with another woman in tow. They walked over to Yasuke. The newcomer wore a miko's robes and had bright red hair, golden eyes, and tan skin. She smiled at Yasuke, then looked at Ryo. "Good morning. I am Suzunagi. I am glad to see you are recovering well. We were worried."

"Suzunagi helped heal you," Naima added.

"Thank you," Ryo replied.

"So now what's the plan?" Naaza asked. "We're recovering – Touma's armor – is fighting the demonspawn. Shutendoji and Kayura may be enjoying themselves but weren't we supposed to return to the Demon Realm at some point?"

"Actually concerned for someone else, Naaza?" Shin replied. "I'm shocked."

"You're not making a good case for empathy, Suiko."

"We'll wait until Touma gives the all-clear in the city and rejoins us," Seiji said. "Then we'll go. I don't want to maroon him here if he needs help."

"You plan to return to the Demon Realm?" Suzunagi asked.

"Yes," Shin replied. "They're rebuilding after Arago's defeat, and could use some help with infighting and putting the land to rights. Shutendoji formed or joined a network of rebels while Arago was still in power and they helped us a lot to bring Arago down. We don't want to just leave them in the lurch."

"Or let someone just replace Arago," Seiji continued.

"That is admirable," Naima said.

"Will you come with us, Yasuke?" Ryo asked. "I would understand if not, because of everything that's happened. You deserve to stay home and recover for a good long time. But if you're up to it, I think you'd be a big help."

Yasuke smiled. "Let me think about it. I'd like to go and help but I would like to rest a bit more, too."

"We understand," Shin said.

They all ate their meal with some small talk, then helped clean up. The former Demon Mashou were unused to the work, having been around demonic servants for so long, but the temple workers and Shu were quite happy to give them instructions.

The former Demon Mashou retired afterward, still recovering from their bout with the Shiroi Kikotei. Shutendoji and Kayura were still consulting with the locals – Adla among them – and Shu was still in the kitchen. Seiji, Shin, Ryo, and Byakuen went out to explore the town, with Yasuke, Naima, Suzunagi, and Adla as their guides. Seiji and Shin did their best not to hover. Yasuke led them and talked animatedly about his home, pointing things out, talking to people they passed. He even bought them a snack at a food cart. Suzunagi and Naima kept in the back, chatting and waving at the townsfolk, occasionally adding to Yasuke's descriptions. Suzunagi frequently added in foods that Luna liked, which Seiji ignored while Shin tried not to laugh.

At one point, Yasuke, Ryo, Adla, and Byakuen got ahead and Naima pulled Shin and Seiji aside. "Tell me... is Ryo a good man?"

Shin and Seiji looked at each other, then back at her.

"Yeah," Shin replied.

"A little too ready to throw his life away, but yeah, his heart is in the right place.""Earlier was the first time I've heard him genuinely laugh in a long time," Shin added. "It says a lot about where he is, emotionally. He's not usually that open. He's been hurt a lot, so... he tries to hide it.""My brother is a kind soul," Naima said. "He is not a toy or an amusement.""Ryo wouldn't treat him that way. He's deeply loyal to anyone he considers a friend.""We've been trying to remind him that _he_ matters, too," Seiji added. "he's a friend. And we want him to be safe and happy."Naima sighed. "Yasuke is a warmhearted person. Even being in that hellpit hasn't seemed to dampen him, but...""It's the town," Suzunagi said. "he's always loved this place. It gives him spiritual ease. And he's always happier outside. Remember when he was younger? He'd always study in the forest or a field. He even plays video games out here, when he has the time.""And even in the dead of Winter," Naima said. "He'd lie down in the snow in his armor and barely feel it." She shook her head. "Thick skin, thick skull, I don't know."

"They've really taken to each other," Seiji commented. "And I was the one trapped with Yasuke in the hellpit."

"Oh hush," Shin replied. "You've got Luna. Don't be greedy."

"It's not…" Seiji sighed. "My point is, they barely know each other—"

"As Yasuke has told me. That's why they're talking now."

"But why is Ryo so attached? He's not this… open with _us_ , and he's known us longer."

"Well besides the obvious…"

"What obvious?"

Shin ignored him. "He's new. Outside that one faint, Yasuke has a pretty favorable impression of Ryo. He sees him as capable and powerful. Whereas we… well, we babysit him."

"You mean we _try_."

"Yes. And much as that concern might come from a place of friendship, camaraderie, and affection, it's still tough to deal with. In Ryo's shoes I'd grasp onto the first new person that seems to like me, too."

"But we don't…" Seiji looked to see that Ryo and Yasuke were still a ways ahead. "We don't dislike him. He's our friend. We're just… we don't want to see him get hurt again."

"Like I said. He just sees things differently, is all."

"I know… I just don't get how they're basically best buddies all of a sudden."

"…Seiji, are you jealous?"

"What? No!"

"You _so_ are."

Seiji studiously ignored him.

Shin laughed. "Just talk to Luna some more."

"You keep bringing her up."

"For good reason."

"And what would that be?"

Shin sighed. "Seiji, Seiji, Seiji, for someone so smart, you can be so dense.

Seiji studied Yasuke and Ryo, wondering what was so obvious that he was missing it. That was when Yasuke touched Ryo's shoulder as he used his other hand to point. Ryo glanced at the hand, then smiled and look in the direction Yasuke pointed.

"Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh.'"

Adla nodded along to something Yasuke said, then excused herself to go back to Shin, Seiji, Naima, and Suzunagi. As she approached she shook her head ruefully. "I think... I think that I might go back to the house for a bit."

"Are you all right, mother?" Naima asked, concerned.

"Yes. And my instinct is to stick to Yasuke like a burr for the next month, but every time I fuss I see him wither a little, like he's trying to be happier than he and failing. He's not doing that around Ryo. He seems genuinely happy. Maybe... maybe it's a distraction. I want to help him heal, and I don't know if staying or leaving is best."

"There are plenty of us in the village to keep an eye on him, mother," Naima said. "And the other armor bearers won't hurt him."

"And if they try they have us to answer to," Seiji said. Shin smiled at the others, trying to make that comment less ominous.

Suzunagi looked at Adla. Her shakujo shimmered. "I think it's the first time he's felt a sense of real belonging. He's been trapped in a dark place for a long time. It seems to me that a warm, bright person is exactly what he needs right now. And healing Ryo... that's the kind of person I saw."

Adla looked back at Yasuke and Ryo. "I just worry... Ryo came here in such a state. Will they really help each other, both injured mentally and physically as they are?"

"They have the other armor bearers to look out for and support them," Suzunagi said. "They're never really alone in that sense. If there is trouble, we're near."

"Hey Seiji," Ryo said, turning back to them. "Yasuke wants to help me train with using the armor's ability to absorb energy. Apparently he learned it when he was younger, so he can help me use it with the Shiroi Kikotei."

"That sounds like a great idea," Shin dove in. "Seiji and I were planning to spar."

"It's easier to do this near the treeline," Yasuke added. "Quieter. You can follow me. There's plenty of room to spar there, too."

"You go on ahead," Seiji said when Shin dug his elbow into the green senshi's hip. "We'll go back to the temple, see if Shu or the others want to train, too."

"Oh," Ryo replied. "All right. My cell is on."

"Good," Seiji replied. "See you later."

Ryo watched as the pair turned and walked away. "That was odd. I'm not used to Seiji letting me out of his vicinity so easily."

"We can follow them if you want," Yasuke offered.

"No, it's fine. It's... a change."

"Suzunagi and I were going to go check on Kayura and Shutendoji," Naima said. "We'd like to learn more about them."

"I have paperwork to deal with," Adla said. "She walked up and squeezed Yasuke's shoulder. "Call me if you need me, Yasuke. I'm here for you."

"Thank you mother."

The three walked off and Yasuke frowned. "That was a bit odd. Do you feel abandoned?"

"I'm not sure. It's far too quiet. Byakuen?" He looked down and the tiger stared up at him. "Ah, good, not entirely alone. Can't have that."

Yasuke laughed.

Ryo smiled back. "Lead on to the training area, I guess."

Yasuke grinned and took Ryo's hand to guide him along. Ryo was surprised at first, but he didn't pull away. He looked at Byakuen, who grumbled, but followed along.

There was a small clearing by the treeline where Yasuke stopped and said, "Yup, this is it."

"Oh it's nice."

Yasuke turned to look at Ryo and realized he was still holding Ryo's hand. Yasuke quickly let go and a flush came over his face. "I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me. Usually I train the kids, so… Not that you're a kid or little or um…"

Ryo grinned. "It's fine." He awkwardly put his arm down, then used the hand to pet Byakuen.

"Okay, so training! Right. First, we start with meditation. Gets us calm and lets us get in a good mental place for dealing with the power of the armors. It's good for everyone, really, but for us it's particularly important."

He seated himself in the grass. Ryo sat nearby. Byakuen sat behind Ryo.

"Do you… do you know how to meditate?"

"I had to learn as a child. I haven't done it recently, though."

"Oh okay."

They both shut their eyes and stayed silent.

Ryo listened. He felt the warmth of his armor. The comforting presence of Byakuen. The armor reached for Yasuke, but Ryo only had to press a little to say 'Stop' and it gave up, wrapping instead around Ryo in a warm blanket of energy. It didn't hurt, like summoning the Shiroi Kikotei usually did. That was odd… Ryo ignored it and focused on meditating. It was a bit difficult to accomplish after not doing it for so long, but he slowly fell back into it.

Ryo found himself back in the blue void of his dream. Again he sat in the center of a circle of all the other armor bearers. Fire came up to his knees, but it didn't bother him. He wore the Rekka armor.

The others were all seated with their eyes shut. Only Yasuke had his eyes open and looked around thoughtfully.

"Where are we?" Ryo asked. His voice echoed.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's how our armors connect to each other?"

"So that dream last night was real."

"Yeah, I guess it was. Are you okay over there?" Yasuke asked as he stared at the fire.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ryo could feel the others. Although they weren't focusing, they were all still connected to him. He looked at Shu and felt like he was racing over the ground. He entered a loud kitchen full of good smells. Shu looked away from the chef he was watching cook to glance over his shoulder. "Ryo?"

_Oh, sorry Shu._

"Uh… it's fine."

Ryo pulled back and was back in the void. "That was weird."

"What happened?"

"I went to Shu for a second."

"Neat. I wonder what the range on this place is."

Ryo grinned. "Now you sound like Touma."

Yasuke raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought I sounded like Suzunagi. She's definitely the brains of this operation." He looked around. "We should probably go. This is fine as a first lesson."

"All right."

They both closed their 'eyes'. When they opened them again, they were both back in the clearing.

Yasuke pulled out his cell to check the time. "Well that didn't take too long, so that's fine." He put his cell away and looked at Ryo. "You all right?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"How do you feel?"

"…Calm, I think."

"That's good. Now this time, I want you to close your eyes and listen. Feel for whatever energy sources are nearby. Don't reach for them. Just find them."

Ryo followed the instructions. He heard birds, wind in the leaves, large animals in the woods… He felt Yasuke there, with his glowing purplish-black armor. Ryo moved away. Byakuen was there, with that hint of Byakueno's power wrapped around him. Ryo moved past him. He could feel the other armor bearers, even at this distance, but he ignored them, too. That's not what he was looking for.

That was when he felt the warmth through the earth. He frowned. Sunshine wouldn't make the ground _that_ warm. But he felt it. He reached for it, forgetting Yasuke's instructions. Ryo went down into the Earth, where he found veins of hot magma on their travels. He joined them in the warmth.

The armor was happy. It soaked in the heat.

Ryo almost didn't hear Yasuke calling to him. Even so, he found it hard to remember why that was important.

A dark hand reached and grabbed Ryo, startling him. He raced back to his body and gasped as he opened his eyes to see Yasuke standing over him, shaking him. In his surprise, Ryo knocked both of them over.

They both caught themselves before they bashed their faces into the Earth.

"Sorry!" Ryo said. "Are you okay?" He got up and went to help Yasuke.

Yasuke took the offered hand and stood, letting go so he could dust himself off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just glad I could get you back. That's dangerous, for you to go to power sources with just your spirit. You could get cut off from your body, or pull the magma back through the Earth with you, causing some disaster."

Ryo's face turned ashen. He could cause so much damage… nearly had…

"But I don't think that was all on you. It's the Shiroi Kikotei. It's far beyond my armor. The worse mine ever wanted to do was go swimming in a frozen lake."

"…Did you?"

"Ask Naima sometime. She loves to tell that story, particularly the part where she lectured my skin off about how much I terrified my family. Mother didn't let me out of her sight for a week."

"That's awful."

"But it made the lesson stick. _You_ must control your armor. Your armor cannot control you. Right now your armor is like a starving animal: powerful, but short-sighted. It gobbles up anything it can reach because it always thinks it'll never eat again. If you let it know that energy is available, it won't munch on you as much. But you can't just let it run wild. For the others, this probably isn't as big a problem, but the Shiroi Kikotei… that's a whole other barrel of fish." He frowned, tapping his foot. "I'll have to think it over."

"You really get it," Ryo said. "And you've only know about it for maybe a day."

Yasuke grinned. "It's like you said. Our armors are similar. Yours is just more powerful. I trained myself on this thing once. I can do it again."

"That's…. actually really comforting."

"Glad to help."

"So uh… wanna just talk for a bit? I'm a bit too jittery to try more meditation."

"Yeah sure. What do you want to talk about?"

They sat. Byakuen walked between them so they could lean on him.

"Well… Suzunagi. Naima. Are they really like Kayura?"

"I think so, from what Naima told me, although Kayura could be more powerful, since she inherited the Ancient's power. Still, Suzunagi and Naima can pack a punch when needed."

"Is Suzunagi another family member?"

"By marriage. She and Naima went abroad to get married a few years ago."

"Oh."

"Yeah. They didn't want to leave the town unprotected, but they've wanted to get married for years. So we told them to go. We were fine. After all, I was here!" He puffed his chest and grinned. Ryo laughed.

"Is your father around?"

"No. He died when I was younger. He was defending another town from some demons. He saved the town, but his wounds were too great."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. What about your parents?"

"My mother died when I was young. I haven't seen Dad in a while. He's a nature photographer and likes to travel."

"Any siblings?"

"No. I've met some of my cousins, but Dad isn't a fan of his family, and Mom always had a small family, so, it's really just been me on my own for a long time, at least until Byakuen showed up."

"Showed up?"

"Well it's... I mean it sounds weird when I talk about it... At any rate, he's always there for me." He patted the tiger, who rumbled softly and put his head down.

"I understand. She's not a literal tiger, but Naima and I get along really well. She's been a big help with my armor and helping me train. We have our issues, but at the end of the day, we're friends. And that's better than blood any day."

Ryo smiled.

"So…. Are you seeing anyone now?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry that was a weird question!" Yasuke's face was red. "I'd talk about sports but I'm not really into them and then we've been talking about food for a while, and family and relationships, so..."

Ryo laughed. "No I just don't get asked that. No, I'm single. You?"

"Same. It's been tough as an armor bearer to find someone."

"That surprises me. I'd think… I mean, you're good looking and nice, so I'd imagine…"

"You think I'm good looking?"

Ryo's face flushed. "I mean… you know… you want to talk about soccer? Or-you're not into sports, so how about Byakuen? People are always weirded out by him, since he's you know, a giant tiger and all—"

"Ryo."

Ryo stopped babbling and looked at Yasuke, feeling his throat constrict. Yasuke was smiling kindly. "I think you're good looking, too. And nice."

"Oh. Uh… thanks, I mean…"

"You were talking about Byakuen?"

"Oh I er… we met… um…"

"It's okay. We can go back to the temple if you're too nervous."

"No, no I like… being here…. With you. It's nice. I mean yeah, you get the armor, but you get... you get me, too. The others try, they really do. But it's different with you."

Yasuke scratched his cheek. "Yeah I... I don't really know how I feel. So much has happened. Sometimes I think I'll just wake up and be back in that place with Shikaisen talking about his experiments. Being home is..." He breathed in and shut his eyes. "It's like pure adrenaline in a way. And being outside, rather than caged up somewhere in the dark... It means a lot."

"Would taking a nap or a walk or something help?" Ryo asked. "I mean you've been through something awful... maybe we could get a bedroll for you to use over here if being outside helps."

"No I... I want to be awake and talking to people as much as I can. Looking at sunshine, smelling the trees. Listening to the birds." He pet Byakuen's fur. "Things that remind me that I'm alive. That I survived."

Ryo saw a look on Yasuke's face that he recognized. He'd seen it in mirrors all too much lately. Ryo looked away. "Sometimes, I... before I first summoned the Shiroi Kikotei, I was... absorbed... by Arago. We all were. He wanted to control us and use us for our armors, to restore his original armor. I know I told you some of this before, but... when we were in wherever that place... inside of him was... He made us see things. Illusions that would make us stop fighting. They felt so real. Sometimes... sometimes I think this is all a dream. That I'm still stuck in that dark place. I want to stay awake, but I'm so tired all the time, and the dreams... they're almost worse than thinking that all this is fake. Hearing the others talking is the only thing that keeps me sane some of the time."

He didn't realize he was shaking until Yasuke put his right hand on Ryo's left hand. Ryo looked up at the other senshi. Yasuke smiled kindly back. "I'm real, Ryo, and you're here with me now. And I'm pretty sure I could never imagine you, so I know this is real. It seems unlikely that anyone could imagine someone quite as amazing as me." He grinned, and Ryo laughed.

Yasuke swallowed. "Look, I don't really know what to do here, so… let's agree that we'll just go slow and see how things go, okay? We're just hanging out, no big deal."

"Yeah… yeah I think so."

"Cool." They sat like that for a while, just quietly holding hands and looking at each other. Feeling their hearts race.

"Hey Yasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad you're here, too, Ryo."

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks!
> 
> …Okay, well, mostly. I'll probably go back and do some edits since I keep finding things to fix everywhere. But this is the final chapter. Thanks for sticking with it for this long. Cheers!
> 
> (Suzunagi was the main antagonist in the third OVA; she's been retconned a bit)


End file.
